Trouble in Tulsa
by Jayla728
Summary: "'Get comfortable, greaser' he snarled in my ear. I felt his hot breath on my skin. 'You're about to get a beating you won't forget.'" Jayla Curtis gets into a predicament. Will things take a turn for the worse? Part of my Curtis Sister series. Happy reading! :)
1. Chapter 1

** Okay! This is the first story in the series! I may write various one-shots and other stories while working on this one, so just keep an eye out! If you haven't read it already, you should read the prologue, The Intro of a Curtis Sister, which can be found on my page. This story wouldn't exist outside of my head if it wasn't for pinksugarrush, my Beta Reader and Writer's Consultant! So venture on over to her page and check out her stuff when you finish with this! I hope you enjoy this, and I will try to update as quickly as possible! Happy reading!**

At our house, Darry and Soda usually leave for work around 7:45. In the Summer, I'm usually still asleep when they leave. But today, I made it a point to see them off so I could ask Darry a question.

When I stumbled sleepily into the living room in my nightgown, my two oldest brothers were just about to leave. Two-Bit, Dally, Johnny, and Steve were there as well, though Steve was about to leave with Soda. I approached Darry, who was pulling on his boots at the door.

"Hey, Darry?"

He looked up in surprise. I guess he wasn't used to seeing me this early. "What's up?"

"Can I go to the library after lunch today and stay until it closes?"

I, like Ponyboy, have a big love of books. Spending the day at the library is my idea of the perfect way to spend my time. Darry, however, apparently didn't agree. He frowned at me and raised himself to full height, dropping his boots.

"Sorry, Jayla, not today. Soda and I both have to work late, so we can't pick you up. I don't want you walking alone in the dark."

My face fell. "But can't someone else pick me up?" I looked around at the rest of the gang (except Ponyboy, he was asleep) for the answer to my question.

Dally shook his head. "Nope. Me and Johnny and Two-Bit are gonna grab some action at the Nightly Double." Johnny looked at me sympathetically. I turned to Steve, my eyes pleading. He sighs and runs a hand through his hair, then turns to Darry.

"I'll pick her up on my way back from the DX. I get off early tonight."

Darry nodded in approval before turning to me, a stern look on his face. "I trust you not to go looking for trouble, but I want you to keep a blade on you when you go. Socs are always driving around looking for a fight, and I don't want you getting hurt."

I made a face. I hated carrying a weapon. It was like asking for the chance to use it, which I never could. Even if the Socs did corner me, I wouldn't pull a blade out. I thought quickly for an excuse.

"But if I carry a blade, and then I do get cornered by Socs, won't they think I'm looking for trouble and hurt me even worse?"

Darry considered my on-the-spot logic. "Good point," he replied. "Don't carry the blade. Just be careful." With that, he finished putting on his boots and got ready to leave. He and Soda hugged me goodbye and left with Steve, who sent a grin in my direction before walking out the door.

I shut the front door behind them and returned to my room to get dressed. I slipped on an undershirt and black gym shorts that came down just above the knee before putting on an old t-shirt Two-Bit gave me a while back. I don't exactly dress like a girl. Even my haircut (buzz-cut boyishly short in the back and on the sides with bangs that covered my forehead) shows that I'm a tomboy. I guess that's what happens when you grow up around seven boys.

After combing my hair, I went to the kitchen and got a bowl of my favorite cereal before plopping on the couch between Johnny and Dally. Ponyboy had woken up and was eating "breakfast" (it was chocolate cake) on the floor next to Two-Bit. He grinned at me before shifting his attention back to the TV.

Before too long, the show had ended. I gathered mine and Pony's dishes and took them to the sink. When I returned, Dally and Two-Bit were having a full-blown wrestling match over control of the remote while Ponyboy and Johnny talked on the couch. I had enough sense not to try and get in the middle if Dally and Two-Bit, so I turned to Ponyboy.

"Pony, will you read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to me?" I asked. It was my favorite book, and he was really good at reading it.

"Jayla, I've read it at least eleven times. Can't you read it yourself?"

I frowned at his response. "Yeah, but you're better at reading than I am. Plus, you do the voice of Augustus Gloop perfectly."

Ponyboy shook his head. "Not right now. Johnny and I were about to go play football in the lot. The book is on my desk if you want to read it by yourself, though."

He and Johnny got up and left. I sighed in frustration. Besides football, reading, and watching TV, what else was there to do? I debated trying to catch up with them, but decided against it. Last time I played football with the guys, I ended up with a bloody nose. Darry forbade me from playing without a helmet, mouth guard, shin guards, knee pads, elbow pads, and shoulder pads after that. Getting all that gear on is a big hassle, and more trouble than it's worth. So I rarely play football with anyone anymore.

I resumed my position on the couch, this time between Two-Bit, who had the remote, and Dally, who was sporting a black eye. Looking at the clock, I realized that my favorite show was about to come on.

I looked at Two-Bit, who had his eyes glued to the screen. "Turn it to NBC, Two-Bit, I think Jeopardy is on."

He looked at me in annoyance. "No. Mickey's on."

"You watch Mickey reruns every day. I hardly ever get to watch Jeopardy."

"Jeopardy's boring."

"No it's not. At least you can actually learn something by watching it. Besides, it's my house!"

"I don't care. I'm older. That means I get remote privileges."

"Two-Bit!"

"Will the two of you knock it off?" Dally cut in angrily. He was rubbing his temples. "You're giving me a headache!"

I lowered my eyes. "Sorry." I said quietly

I didn't press the television issue. Dally's outburst had dampened my mood. I hate when anyone yells at me, much less the gang. Instead, I silently got up and retreated to my room, closing the door behind me.

I leaned against the far wall and slid down into a sitting position, so that I could see the door from my spot on the floor. I hugged my knees to my chest and rested my chin on them. Golly, I could sure be a bother sometimes. Steve was annoyed that he had to pick me up, Ponyboy wanted nothing to do with me, and both Two-Bit and Dally were irritated with me. Maybe I should have stayed in bed today.

I must have fallen asleep at some point, because I woke in the same position some time later. I stretched my legs and yawned, then stood up. Stretching, I made my way into the hall.

I cautiously approached the living for fear of being too loud, but my caution was in vain. I found Dally, Johnny, Two-Bit, and Ponyboy eating pizza in the kitchen. I nervously took a seat at the table between Two-Bit and Johnny.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," Two-Bit teased when he saw my disheveled hair. "I went out and got a pizza if you're hungry."

In Two-Bit language, "got a pizza" means "stole a pizza", but I didn't care. I eagerly took the slice he offered me and dug in. Neither of us said anything about earlier, same with Dally and Ponyboy. Johnny stayed quiet, anyway, but that's just him.

When I finished, I went to comb my hair. The guys were watching TV when I came back. I grabbed my backpack and slipped on some flip-flops before bidding them goodbye and walking out the door. Some time spent surrounded by books was sure to lift my spirits.

When I stepped out onto the porch, a blast of cool air hit me. Threatening gray clouds loom over my head, foreshadowing a storm. 'Thank goodness Steve is driving me home', I thought as I strolled towards the library. At least, I thought he was.

** Well, what do you think? It would be awesome if you guys could leave a review letting me know. This is my first story on here, so take that into consideration. Please be nice! Don't just criticize to be mean! Thank you all so much for reading! I'm so excited to be able to share this story with everyone! Keep an eye out for updates! ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

"Excuse me, but the library is closing. You'll have to come back at another time."

I looked up from my book and sighed. A withered-looking librarian was peering down at me over her spectacles. On another day, I might have asked if I could take shelter from the storm inside until the library until my ride arrived, but I didn't. This woman was giving me a glare that said she wouldn't hear any objections. So, to her dismay, I packed up my belongings as slowly as a could at an attempt to kill some time before Steve got here.

When I could dwell no longer without subjecting myself to a stern lecture on "following rules" (believe me, being a greaser is like being a magnet for those talks), I made my way out the heavy front doors in the lobby. I immediately got drenched the moment I stepped outside. Rain was coming down hard, making it impossible to see more than six feet in front of me.

I shivered in the darkness. Shouldn't Steve be here by now? Maybe he had forgotten and had gone over to the Nightly Double to rescue the gang from the rain. Or maybe he'd gotten held up at the DX and was helping Soda with the cash register. Whatever his excuse was, it wasn't helping my situation any.

Ten minutes had passed since I'd been kicked out of the library, according to my watch. So I set off towards the house in the downpour. I know Darry said he didn't want me walking back alone, but what choice did I have? I couldn't exactly stand outside the library all night. Maybe I could make it home before the storm got  
worse.

I had barely walked a quarter-mile before two bright headlights appeared coming up the road. They were approaching at a slow pace, and I hoped it was one of the gang coming to pick me up. I would catch pneumonia before I ever made it home if I stayed in this rain without a jacket.

The car pulled up beside me, and it wasn't Two-Bit's clunker or one of Steve's fix-it projects. Instead, a shiny black 1965 Mustang glistened in the dim streetlight. I watched nervously as the passenger-side window rolled down to reveal the smug face of a Soc.

"Well, what have we got here? Looks like we've found ourselves a greasy little East-Sider. What do you say, greaser?" He made his voice audible for the other people in the car. "Because I say that we need to teach you not to walk alone a night? Wouldn't you agree?" His voice was soft as he said the last part.

Frankly, I was scared out of my wits at that point. And when you're that afraid, you don't think straight. I shouldn't have tried to run when the pavement was so slick. I shouldn't have yelled when they held me down. But I did, and the results were painful.

As soon as the Soc finished talking, I turned to run. I fell to the wet concrete as my feet slipped out from under me, skinning my knees in the process. Car doors slammed, and I looked up, horrified, as five Socs surrounded me. The one speaking before knelt down beside me and leaned in close.

"Get comfortable, greaser," he snarled into my ear. I felt his hot breath on my skin. "You're about to get a beating you won't forget."

Immediately, the other four Socs each grabbed one of my limbs and held me down flat. I began screaming bloody murder.

"Two-Bit! Johnny! Steve! Dal-"

The guy holding my left arm took a dirty rag out of his pocket and shoved it in my mouth, muffling my screams. I thrashed and squirmed and kicked to no avail. They only held me tighter. Another Soc spoke up.

"Tony, maybe this isn't such a good idea," he said as he struggled to hold my right leg still. "She'll squeal to the other greasers and they'll come after us." He directed it towards the Soc from the car, who was apparently the ringleader of the group. Tony gave him a dirty look.

"Let them come. We'll rough them up too. We gotta show these greasers who owns this town." He turned his attention back to me and pulled something out of his back pocket- a blade.

I was shaking something awful at that point. I made noises of protest as he flipped it open and held it to my exposed forearm. "Hold her still." He muttered to the rest of them. I squeezed my eyes shut and let out a muffled cry as he dragged the sharp tip across my arm. The Socs just laughed.

The rain had started to let up slightly, so it wasn't too hard to tell the difference between the cold rain sticking my clothes to my skin and the warm blood trickling towards my wrist. I began crying actual tears, to their amusement, and continuing to make noises as Tony did the same thing to my other arm. Then, he slashed the blade through my shirt just below the ribs, causing more blood to spill. Finally, one of the Socs yanked me to my feet and pulled the rag out of my mouth.

"Please, stop," I whispered. "I'll D-do anything you want, just stop cutting me."

Tony laughed and spun the blade in his fingertips. "Stop? No, I think you still have a bit to learn. But I'd be happy to add more to the lesson."

With that, he nodded to the others and they began punching every inch of me they could reach. My torso, my arms, my face, everywhere. Tony took the blade and slashed through my clothes at my legs and upper arms. Then he delivered a few more cuts to my mid-section before finally pocketing the blade and joining the others with the punching and kicking.

At that point, I was a crying, bloody mess on the ground as they continued to deliver blows. I pleaded with them, but it seemed like hours before they stopped, although I knew it had only been minutes. At last, they checked my still figure, and, assured that they hadn't completely killed me, hopped back in their car and drove away. Face down on the sidewalk, I tried to move but found that I was in too much pain to do so. So I lay there, waiting for anyone, friend or foe, to find me. Someone came along quicker than I expected.


	3. Chapter 3

**I know I kind of switched between capitalizing "socs" and leaving it be last chapter, and I didn't mean to. Before I could change it, I hit the button to post it. Sorry! I'm going to be switching viewpoints every once in a while from here on out, so that's what the names at the beginning of a part are! Happy reading!**

_Steve:_

"Hey, Big Steve-O! Give me a hand with this, would you?"

I turned around and looked out the window, clock card in hand, to see Soda fixing a car in the parking lot. I put down my card on the counter and went outside. I walked over to my best friend, who had his hand sticking out from under the car. Lying on a skateboard, his upper body was completely invisible.

"What do you need me to do, Sodapop?" I asked.

He rolled out from underneath the car and pointed briefly at his toolbox a few feet away. "Can you hand me a wrench?" He asked, wiping a smudge of grease off his cheek. I retrieved the tool and handed it to him.

"Hey, Soda, what time is it?"

He glanced down at his watch, then up at the sky. "Around six-thirty. You'd better get a move on if you're picking up Jayla. The library closes at seven, and it looks like a storm is coming."

I looked up. A thick layer of dark clouds prevented stars from accenting the night sky.

"You're right. I was just about to leave anyways. You sure you're okay with working late"

He grinned at me. "Positive. I'll close up in an hour or so. Tell Jayla that I'll cook dinner when I get home if Darry isn't there yet. Thanks, Buddy." With that, he rolled back under the car and proceeded to work.

I ran back inside, clocked out, then sprinted towards my truck, a red 1958 Ford pickup restored by yours truly. I should have known that my buddy would want to keep working. The guy loves cars almost as much as I do. I got in, turned the key in the ignition, and pulled out of the DX parking lot, gravel crunching under my tires.

About a mile down the main road, the rain started. I reached over and switched on the windsheild wipers. My eyes fell on my gas gauge and I swore. I had forgotten to fill up on gas before I left, and the tank was dangerously close to empty.

I glanced down nervously at the gauge every few seconds as I drove, trying to find a gas station. I didn't have enough fuel to double back to the DX, not to mention that I'd be leaving Jayla stranded in the rain due to my lateness. My best bet would probably be to just park the truck out of sight behind the library, walk Jayla home, then come back in the morning with a couple of gallons to fill up the tank.

Finally, I reached the library and looked for Jayla in front of the building as I pulled around to the back. She was nowhere in sight. I hopped out and ran to the front doors. I pulled on the brass handles. They wouldn't budge, and the windows were dark.

I swore again. Jayla must have tried to walk home by herself after the library had closed. I swear, sometimes that kid seems to have less sense than Ponyboy. I began walking down the sidewalk in the direction of the Curtis house, getting soaked by the rain.

A rush of panic tore through me. She was completely unprotected. In the dark without a blade, plus the fact that it was raining, she's be a too-easy victim. What if she got kidnapped, or worse? My pace quickened from "leisurely walk" to "marathon runner" as I hurried to find her.

The rain was coming down slower, and the dark figure lying facedown on the ground wasn't hard to miss. My heart leaped into my throat as I stopped abruptly in front of it. I quickly got down on my knees beside Jayla and turned her over. I gasped.

Her clothes were tattered and dirty, exposing 75% of her flesh. Blood was oozing out of several gashes on her stomach and limbs. Her face was bruised heavily. She was shivering from the cold. Her flip-flops was lying a yard away. My stomach twisted as I examined her briefly.

"Kid. Hey, Kid!" I lifted her into a sitting position to wake her, but she didn't respond. I tried again. "Jayla!"

She groaned as I supported her with my arms and her eyelids fluttered open. "Steve?" She asked softly. She grimaced in pain at the effort it took. I looked down at her in worry.

"Yeah, it's me. What the hell happened to you?"

"Socs..." she muttered, her eyes shut. I furrowed my eyebrows in anger. Of course. Some stupid Socs had seen her walking down the road and decided to jump her. Stuck-up cowards. This is exactly why Darry wanted her to carry a blade.

I shifted my attention back to her as she moaned. She locked tear-filled eyes with mine.

"It hurts, Steve. It hurts real bad." The tears spilled over and I gently pulled her to my chest as she cried silently. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't carry her all the way home in the state she was in, but I didn't have a car. Then it hit me.

"Hey, my truck ran out of gas. I'm going to run back to the payphone I passed a couple of minutes ago and call Two-Bit to come get us in his car," I layed her down on the ground slowly, then got up. "Don't move."

I ran as fast as I could to the phone about ten yards away and dug some quarters out of my pocket. God, I hoped Two-Bit wasn't drunk. The movie would have surely been cancelled when the rain started, so I knew the gang wasn't there. I called Two-Bit's house.

He picked up. "Matthews residence." His voice sounded sober, and I thanked the heavens.

"Two-Bit. It's Steve. Jayla's been jumped."

Silence on his end. Then he spoke, worry in his voice. "What? Is she okay? Where are you?"

"I'm right outside the old Food Mart. Can you come pick us up? My truck ran out of gas."

"Yeah, I'm grabbing my keys now. I'll be right there." He hung up, and I sighed in relief. Two-Bit only lived about five minutes from where we were. I exited the phone booth and ran back to Jayla.

She was in the same position I had left her in. She glanced at me as I sat down and pulled her into my lap. Her head rested against my chest as I wrapped my arms around her, shielding her from the rain. She was still shivering violently, but not as bad as before.

"Two-Bit should be here any minute," I said. "Are you holding up okay?"

She whimpered slightly, giving me my answer. She was obviously hurt pretty badly. I wondered if tonight was going to consist in a hospital visit. It was likely, considering how she hadn't been moving when I found her.

After what seemed like an eternity of silent waiting, tires screeched as Two-Bit's gray clunker came barreling down the road towards us. He stopped the car in front of us and got out. He approached silently, his usual goofy grin replaced by a look of worry as I stood up and carefully helped Jayla to her feet. He started to help me steady her, but then ran back to his car and popped the trunk, pulling out an old blanket.

I reached out my hand for it, but he shook his head slightly, still uncharacteristically quiet, and wrapped it tightly around her. He then placed one hand under her knees and another on her back and lifted her into his arms. I hurried over to the car and climbed in the back seat on the passenger's side. He opened the other back door and put Jayla in the seat beside me before getting in to drive.

Jayla laid on her back and put her head in my lap as Two-Bit glanced in the rearview mirror at us.

"Was it the Socs?" He asked, breaking the silence. I nodded, trying my best to contain my fury at the thought. His eyes narrowed and he made an illegal U-turn. "Do we take her to a hospital?"

I felt Jayla tense up as she heard him. "No," she protested feebly, eyes wide. "No, not the hospital, Two-Bit, please!"

Two-Bit slowed down slightly and glanced at me in worry. I sighed and looked down at Jayla. She had a look of pure terror on her face as she awaited my response. I turned back to Two-Bit.

"Let's take her home first and see what Darry thinks."

He eyed me in disbelief. "Steve, she's been beaten half to death! Don't you think we need to get her some medical attention as soon as possible?"

"Just go to the Curtis's, Two-Bit," I replied in annoyance. "Darry's probably worried out of his mind, and you can tell she's not going to cooperate easily. And keep your eyes on the road, you just ran about three stop signs!" I shouted that last part. The last thing we needed was to get pulled over by cops. Two-Bit quickly turned his eyes back to the road.

I looked back down at Jayla, who had calmed down slightly. She was still trembling, though. She stared up at me. I suddenly thought of something I'd seen Soda do with Ponyboy when the kid was in an emotional state. I ran my hand through Jayla's hair, and she immediately relaxed and closed her eyes.

You can't say I didn't warn Two-Bit, because I did, but this wasn't exactly the right time to say "I told you so". The speedometer slowly crept towards sixty-five as Two-Bit sped down a fifty mph road, narrowly missing another vehicle about to turn onto the street. It honked loudly, and suddenly red and blue lights flashed behind us. Two-Bit said a few choice words and anxiously pulled over onto the side of the road.

The officer shined a flashlight in the car when Two-Bit rolled down the window. "Sir, do you have any idea how fast you were just going?"

Two-Bit looked sheepish. "I know I was speeding, but I'm kind of in a hurry." He motioned towards the back seat. The officer looked at Jayla and his angry look turned to that of comprehension. "What happened to her?" He asked.

"She got beat up," Two-Bit replied impatiently. We're trying to get her home so her brother can handle it."

The officer nodded. "Fine. I'll let you off with a warning. But slow down in the future, you about totaled your car back there." With that, he left, and Two-Bit rolled the window up once more. He turned up the heat before beginning to drive again.

"Steve, are you okay?" He asked. I looked up, confused.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Your hands are shaking." I looked down. Sure enough, I was trembling slightly as I kept running my hand through Jayla's hair. I must have been more anxious than I thought. I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

We rode in silence the rest of the way. Two-Bit pulled in to the Curtis's driveway. I lifted up Jayla, who was just waking up, and propped her against the seat. Two-Bit picked her up again as we both got out of the car.

I led them up the steps and approached the door, Two-Bit behind me. I gave a deep sigh, and slowly turned the knob. Darry was going to kill me.


	4. Chapter 4

_Darry:_

Elvis Presley sounded through the radio as I drove home from work in the rain. My stomach was rumbling, and I made a mental note to order pizza when I got home. My muscles ached from a long day of hard labor. I looked foreward to a quiet night with an easy dinner and maybe one of Sodapop's famous backrubs to relax my joints. Yet, even with my anticipation, I had a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. I shook it off quickly, blaming it on my exhaustion.

I pulled up to the house and unbuckled my seatbelt. Surprisingly, neither Two-Bit's nor Steve's vehicles were parked in my driveway. I knew Sodapop wouldn't be home yet, he had to close up the gas station tonight. But I at least expected Two-Bit to hang around, or Steve after he brought Jayla home. I got out of the car and walked up the porch.

I opened the door and stepped inside to find Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally playing poker at the coffee table. I greeted them and pulled off my boots, scanning the room for my little sister. She wasn't there. I turned to Pony.

"Is Jayla in her room?" I asked. He looked up from his cards and shook his head.

"She and Steve haven't got back yet."

A feeling of dread washed over me. Why weren't they back yet? The library closed half an hour ago, and she should have been home by now.

I crossed the room and took the phone off the reciecer. I dialed the number for the DX and held the phone to my ear, eyeing the guys with apprehension as it rang. I watched Dally throw down a full house before, finally, Soda answers the phone.

"DX Station, Sodapop speaking."

"Hey, Soda. It's Darry," I say into the phone. "Has Steve left work yet?"

"Yeah, he left about forty-five minutes ago so that he could pick up Jayla on his way back to the house. Why?"

I sat in silence for a minute, comprehending what was just said. Soda's voice pulled me back to reality. "Darry? You still there?"

"Yeah," I replied. "Listen, he and Jayla aren't back yet. Have you heard from him since?"

"Nope. But he probably took her to The Dingo for a bite to eat or something. I'm sure it's fine, so don't worry. Call me when you find something out, okay?"

"Okay. I'll see you when you get home. Bye, Soda."

"See ya, Dar."

I hung up the phone and turned away from the wall. Darry, Ponyboy, and Johnny had put down their cards and were staring at me expectantly. Johnny spoke first.

"Is everything okay?" He asked. I sighed deeply.

"Yeah, everything's fine." Soda was probably right. I was just overreacting. I'm sure everything was fine. "Did Two-Bit go home?" I asked, walking over and settling in my recliner.

Ponyboy absentmindedly nodded, focusing on the game like Dally and Johnny. I turned on the news and began watching.

After a few minutes, though, I turned it off, unable to stomach the reports of drive-by shootings and kidnapping victims with Jayla and Steve both late. The others were apparently affected by the situation, too, because they had put down their cards and begun watching nervously. I got up, unable to stand doing nothing any longer.

I went over to the phone again and picked it up, dialing Two-Bit's house. The guys watched me. The phone rang several times before going straight to voicemail. I hung up and rapidly dialed to DX again.

"DX Station, Soda-"

I cut him off. "Soda, it's Darry again. They still aren't back, and I can't get a hold of Two-Bit."

A dreadful silence lingered on his side before he spoke. "Okay, I'm closing up now. I'll be home in about fifteen minutes."

"Okay. Hurry up."

"Will do. See you soon." He hung up, and I placed the phone back on the hook.

My heart was beating fast and hard. Steve wouldn't have taken Jayla anywhere without letting someone know that they'd be late. What was I supposed to do if something bad had happened? I couldn't live with myself if Jayla had gotten kidnapped because I let her go to the library alone without a blade. And what was the deal with Steve and Two-Bit?

I turned back to the guys, who were still watching me with fearful looks. Dally stood up first, his hands balled into fists.

"You want me to go look for her?" He asked.

I considered his offer. But before I had the chance to answer, the doorknob turned. All four of us stared at the door as Steve Randle walked in.


	5. Chapter 5

_Jayla:_

I wrapped my arms around his neck and laid my head on his shoulder as Two-Bit lifted me out of the car. My entire body ached even worse than before, despite the fact that he was being as gentle as possible. I grimaced in pain from the slight movement on my part and closed my eyes again briefly.

Two-Bit carried me up the steps as Steve opened the door. A flood of light and warmth reached me, a big difference from the cold, rainy darkness outside. I opened my eyes again when Two-Bit stepped over the threshold.

The coffee table was covered in cards and poker chips. Ponyboy and Johnny jumped up from where they were sitting on the floor as we came in. Dally, who was standing next to them, opened his mouth in horror.

Dally cursed loudly as Two-Bit walked over to the couch and set me down on it. Darry was halfway across the living room when we came in and he made a beeline for me. Kneeling down next to me, he brushed my hair out of my face, worry outlining his features.

"What happened to her?" He asked, looking from Steve to Two-Bit.

Steve sheepishly gave a thirty-second replay of why I was beat up from the time he left work to when we pulled into the driveway. Darry's eyes narrowed as he rushed over the part where he ran out of gas, but he didn't say anything. Dally cursed again when the socs were mentioned, and balled his hands into fists. By the time he was finished, Johnny and Ponyboy had both made their way over to me and were both standing next to Darry.

Darry carefully helped me sit up. I breathed in sharply as he gingerly lifted my shirt to look at my cuts. The slightest touch to my torso sent waves of pain radiating through my body. He stared at my wounds for a minute before looking back up at my face.

"We need to get you to a hospital."

I widened my eyes in terror. "No! I already said I wasn't going! Darry, please!"

I hate hospitals. I've been absolutely terrified of them since Mom and Dad died in one after the accident. There was no way I was going to one willingly.

Darry looked up at Steve. "I take it you've already discussed this?"

Steve nodded. "We almost drove her straight to the Emergency Room, but she freaked out and convinced us to take her home so you can check her out first."

Darry opened his mouth to speak, but then we all heard a car door slam outside. He froze, then turned to Ponyboy.

"Soda's home," he muttered. "Go outside, Ponyboy, and warn him before he comes in here."

Pony jumped up and ran out the door. Darry stood up and walked off to get something. Less than a minute later, Soda burst through the door in a panic and ran over to me, Ponyboy hot on his heels. Soda took Darry's spot next to Johnny and kneeled down. He immediately wrapped his arms around me and I lay against his chest, breathing in his smell of gasoline for comfort.

Soda only released me when Darry's voice rang out above my head.

"Can you guys help me get her prepped so I can fix her up?" He asked the gang. As soon as everyone agreed, he began throwing out orders.  
"Ponyboy, go get a pair of loose pajamas from her dresser for after I finish. Johnny, run and grab some clean blankets and a washcloth from the hall closet. Dally, get a couple of pillows off my bed. Steve, fill a bowl with warm water. Two-Bit, you get the first-aid kit from the drawer next to the oven. And Sodapop," he paused, seeing me grab Soda's arm to keep him  
from leaving. "Soda, you just stay here with her. I'm going to go wash my hands."

Everyone went off to do their assigned task, leaving me alone with Sodapop. I scooted over to the middle cushion so that he could sit down. I snuggled up to his side and we sat in silence, with him rubbing my sore back to comfort me.

Darry came back first, and everyone else shortly after. Soda moved off the couch and got on his knees on the floor next to Darry so that I could lay back on the pillows Dally had put down in his place. Two-Bit spread out the contents of the first-aid kit on the coffee table behind Darry and Soda, then sat on the armrest at my feet. Ponyboy and Johnny both set down their loads. Johnny sat behind me on the other armrest, and Pony took Darry's other side. Finally, Steve came back with the water and joined Dally, who was hanging over the back of the couch.

I was completely surrounded by the gang. Darry unwrapped the blanket from Two-Bit's car that was still around me, then hesitated, looking me in the eye.

"You sure you're okay with doing this here? You are going to have to take off most of your clothes, you know. If you want, we can move you to my room so that it'll be more private."

I thought for a minute, deciding, then shook my head at his offer. "No, I'd rather do it in here." Everyone in the gang was essentially my big brother. I wasn't very embarrassed at the idea of being mostly naked in front of them. Besides, I felt safer with them around.

Darry studied me for a moment. "Okay, if you're certain, I'm certainly not going to complain about the extra help," he said finally. "Can you undress while I get everything ready?"

With Ponyboy's help, I managed to take off my shorts and t-shirt. I exposed the majority of the cuts and bruises when my undershirt came off. Johnny's eyes got wide, and Dally made a sort of growl. Steve was busy trying to reassure Soda, who was staring at the gashes while  
gripping my right hand tightly. "Relax, Buddy," Steve said to him. "Just be glad they ain't still bleeding"

I suddenly felt very awkward, sitting there in just my panties and sports bra while everyone stared at me. I'm not obese, or anything, but I'm definitely not as skinny as most girls either, so it's understandable that I was a little embarrassed about being exposed like that. I knew none of the gang cared about whether my body was the right "type" or not, especially not then, but I still crossed my arms over my abdomen.

Darry grabbed a blanket and draped it over me, leaving my arms out. "I'll clean those up first." He said, gesturing towards the cuts on my arms. I sighed and sank back against the pillows. I nervously glanced at Two-Bit as Darry wrung out the washcloth. Two-Bit just smiled reassuringly. I squeezed Soda's hand even tighter.

I bit my lip as Darry began to wash the dried blood off of my arms. He dabbed a cotton ball soaked with peroxide around the cuts, which made me tense up. Johnny patted my shoulder from behind me, which made me relax a bit. Darry wrapped gauze and long white bandages all around both my arms. Then, he peeled the blanket off my torso.

I whimpered when the rough washcloth came in contact with my skin. Steve spoke up. "You okay?" He asked me. I nodded unconvincingly and turned my face to the inside of the couch so that I wouldn't have to watch Darry clean the other gashes. However, the water was nothing compared to the disinfectant.

Darry finished cleaning off the dried blood. He shared a knowing glance with Soda, who was still holding my hand, and picked up the peroxide bottle. "Now, this part is probably going to sting quite a bit," he told me. "Most of these cuts are too deep for me to just clean the outside of them, so I'm going to pour this directly in the wounds. You need to hold still, okay?" I braced myself and nodded reluctantly. He sighed and slowly moved the bottle over my stomach. I tightly shut my eyes. I felt Two-Bit squeeze my knee comfortingly. Darry began to pour.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when the liquid touched one of the gashes, startling Darry. He gripped my arm to keep me still, but I still managed to sit up and shy away from him, tears welling up in my eyes. Darry sighed again and put the bottle down on the table. "Jayla, you have to be still," he said, firmly but gently. "I know it hurts, but we can't risk you getting an infection because we let dirt and rain and who knows what else get in it."

The tears spilled over, and I began protesting. "Darry, it hurts!" I said, gritting my teeth. "Can't we just bandage it up and leave it be?"

Dally put a hand on my shoulder as I sat and cried with everyone watching. Suddenly, Darry stood up and walked over to the doorway of the kitchen. "Dallas, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Dally withdrew his hand and stood up, following Darry out of the room. Meanwhile, Ponyboy came closer and sat on the edge of the couch. He wiped the tears off my cheeks and pulled me in for a hug. "You okay?" He whispered in my ear. I nodded into his chest. He rubbed my back soothingly as I cried quietly,


	6. Chapter 6

_Darry:_

I walked into the kitchen, Dally following, and leaned against the counter. I had an idea to keep Jayla from moving around while I treated her, and it was time to take some action.

"Dally," I started. "I need your help."

He stared back at me from his place at the table, then spoke. "With what, exactly?" He asked nervously. I gestured towards the doorway to the living room, then lowered my voice slightly.

"I need you to hold Jayla down so she'll stop moving around while I treat her."

Dally made a face. "What? I can't force her to keep still when you're pouring stuff into those cuts she's got on her stomach! Are you out of your mind?"

"C'mon, Dal. It's not going to hurt her now nearly as bad as it will if we let them get infected! Just pin her arms down or something so that she won't jump up."

Dally groaned, then scrubbed his face with his hands. "Fine! I'll hold the kid down," he replied, glaring at me. "But it was your idea in the first place, so don't blame me if something goes wrong."

With that, he turned and walked briskly back to the living room. I followed, and was greeted by a scene of Ponyboy hugging Jayla, Soda stroking her shoulder, Two-Bit sitting beside her, Johnny next to Ponyboy, and Steve watching from behind the couch. Everyone moved back to their original places when we entered. Ponyboy and Soda helped Jayla settle back down. She looked at me nervously.

I got back down on the floor as Dally switched places with Johnny. Jayla looked at him questioningly as he sat down on the armrest. I grabbed the bottle of peroxide again while Dally proceeded to put his hands tightly on her shoulders, an unhappy look on his face.

"Dally, what are you doing?" She asked him.

"Making sure you hold still while Darry cleans out your cuts." He replied, proceeding to pin her arms down to her sides.

She watched me unscrew the cap of the bottle, a terror-stricken look plastered onto her face. Before I could even start pouring, she began to hyperventilate as she pleaded with Dally.

"No! Let me go, please!" She shouted unexpectedly, surprising us all. She thrashed and squirmed, trying to get free from his grip. Her attempts failed, however, because Two-Bit immediately leaned over and held her legs down to keep her from moving.

"Please let me go, you're hurting me!" She continued to beg. I stared at her, puzzled. I hadn't even started to pour the peroxide yet. Then, it dawned on me. She must be reliving what those Socs did to her.

Dread settled in my stomach as I thought of something horrible, but I managed to compose myself until I could discuss it with the gang in private. Instead, I took advantage of her forced stillness and poured peroxide over the rest of the gashes on her torso. She didn't flinch, seemingly absorbed in what she thought was happening while she was pinned down. I quickly bandaged up her stomach and covered her up with the blanket again.

Suddenly, her eyes closed for a minute and reopened as I pulled the cover up to her chin and instructed Dally and Two-Bit to let go of her. A dazed look settled across her face as she reached up a shaky hand and held her forehead.

"What h-happened?" She asked in a trembling voice. I turned to Soda, who was pale and sweaty, and we shared a look. I turned back to Jayla.

"You had a panic attack when Dally held you down." I said slowly. She wore a bemused expression and glanced at Ponyboy, who nodded in confirmation. She closed her eyes and sank back into her pillows, sighing. I stood up and immediately went back over to the doorway of the kitchen. I observed the gang. They were all staring at Jayla, who had her face in her hands, with terrified looks. I had a feeling that they knew what I was about to do.

"I need to talk to you guys in the kitchen," I announced. "Preferably now."


	7. Chapter 7

Everyone got up slowly and followed me into the kitchen. Soda didn't move, not wanting to leave Jayla by herself. I gave him a look. He sighed and got up, ruffling Jayla's hair before going into kitchen. "We'll be right back." I said to her before following Soda.

The gang had settled themselves all around the room. Ponyboy, Johnny, Dally, and Two-Bit were sitting at the table. Steve and Soda were both sitting on the countertop. Everyone looked a combination of shocked and grim at what had just happened. I leaned against the fridge and took a deep breath.

"Do any of you have any idea what exactly the Socs did to her, other than the cuts and bruises?"

They shook their heads. Soda moaned and hid his face in his hands. Steve put a hand on his shoulder. Two-Bit looked at me nervously.

"I dunno what they did, but it must have been bad if she reacted like that." He said.

Suddenly, Ponyboy stood up, eyes wide. "Darry," he began slowly, a horrified look on his face. "You don't think she got... raped?"

Nobody spoke. Ponyboy looked wildly around the room, waiting for someone to answer his question. I bit my lip.

"I..." I paused, thinking. I really wanted to say no, but deep down I knew that the socs could have done just about anything to her. She was completely by herself with no weapon, and it was dark and raining. It would definitely explain her behavior. "I really don't know, Ponyboy," I continued. "It's possible."

Ponyboy's jaw dropped. Johnny looked like he was about to cry. Steve and Two-Bit angrily stood up and began swearing loudly. Dally clenched his jaw, trying to control his temper. Soda, however, looked up at me in horror.

"Darry, we've got to ask her what happened." He said. Everyone stared at him.

Before I could respond, Johnny cut in. "If she was raped, she's not going to tell just anybody." He said quietly.

I nodded in agreement. He was right. If we were going to get the information out of her, we had to be cautious.

"Okay," I said. "Should I ask her?"

Everyone nodded. I sighed. I had been hoping someone else would volunteer to ask her. As much as I wanted to be there for my baby sister, I really didn't want to have to ask her something like that. What if she had been raped? What was I supposed to say to her? How do you even ask someone a question like that?

Reluctantly, I made my way to the door and stood, waiting for everyone. Even though I would be the one to ask her the question, the rest of the gang would help console her and would be her support while I asked. Everyone slowly got up and followed me into the living room.


	8. Chapter 8

_Jayla:_

I lay on the couch with my hands in my face, my cheeks burning. I didn't mean to make a scene like that. I just kind of freaked when Dally held my arms down. I mean, it was exactly what the Socs did. It felt like I was reliving the attack all over again. Now, I was all alone while the gang talked quietly in the kitchen so I couldn't eavesdrop. They probably thought I had lost my mind.

They all came filing out of the kitchen, watching me closely. Darry was the first to come back in the living room, and he grabbed my pajamas from the coffee table.

"Here," he said kindly, unfolding them. "You can put your pajamas on now."

He handed them to me and I pulled them on slowly, trying not to hit any of my bruises. Once I had them on, everyone found places to sit. Sodapop and Darry sat on either side of me on the couch, while Ponyboy and Johnny perched on the armrests. Dally sat in Darry's recliner. Two-Bit sat at Soda's feet and Steve leaned over the back of the couch again. I leaned against Soda and closed my eyes. He put an arm around me.

"Jayla?" Darry said, trying to get my attention. I kept my eyes shut.

"Hmm?"

"Can you look at me so I can talk to you?"

I opened my eyes and looked at him. "What is it, Darry?" I asked.

He reached over and put a hand on my shoulder. I sat up and looked at him fully. I could tell whatever he was about to say wasn't going to be pleasant. He glanced at Soda and took a breath.

"Jayla," he began cautiously. "We need you to tell us what the Socs did to you."

I tensed up. I really didn't want to talk about it. Everyone stared at me, waiting, while I sat in silence. Finally, I spoke.

"Darry, can't we talk about it later?" I replied. "Or better yet, not at all."

He looked at me sympathetically. "I have to know what they did, kiddo. I know you don't want to talk about it, but we can't just pretend it never happened."

"Yeah," Dally chimed in from the recliner. "We have to know what they did so we know how hard to pound them in the rumble!"

My breath caught in my throat. "Rumble?" I choked out. "What rumble?"

"We can't just let them get away with this." Steve said from behind me.

Darry, seeing my distress, shot glares at Steve and Dally. "Y'all just shut up about that," he told them angrily. "It's not even official yet."

He turned back to me. "Now," he said softly. "Are you ready to tell us what happened?"

I groaned internally. There was no getting out of this. Even if I didn't tell them now, they'd weasel it out of me eventually. I might as well get it over with.

"Okay, fine," I said. "I'll tell you."

With that, I began telling them everything that happened, starting with the mean librarian. When I got to the part where the Socs held me down, Dally cursed loudly.

"Geez, kid," He interrupted. "I didn't know about that. I'm sorry."

I assured him it was fine, and continued with my story. Tears prickled my eyes when I began talking about the blade and I whimpered. Darry put his arm around my shoulders. I leaned into his embrace and willed myself to go on.

When I finally finished, I was full-out sobbing into Darry's chest. He hugged me as I cried, rubbing my back to calm me. After a few minutes, I sat up and hiccuped. The rest of the gang just watched me sadly.

"So," Darry said, breaking the silence. "They didn't... rape you or... do anything inappropriate to you?"

I looked at him incredulously. That was completely unexpected. "No," I replied shakily, still wiping away tears. "They didn't do anything like that. They just beat me up and laughed at me when I cried."

At least half of the gang let out sighs of relief. I suddenly realized what they had been whispering about in the kitchen. Soda patted me on the back, and Ponyboy got up and gave me another hug.

"Are you okay now?" Darry asked, seeing that I had calmed down. I nodded, yawning. Soda smiled at me.

"Are you ready for bed, kiddo?" He asked.

"Yeah, but..." I trailed off, turning to look at Darry. "Could I sleep in here tonight so that I don't have to be alone?"

Darry looked surprised, but agreed. "Yeah, that's fine."

He stood up and I leaned against Soda's side. Ponyboy draped three thick blankets over me. I yawned again and snuggled into the covers. Dally, Steve, and Two-Bit settled themselves on the floor with pillows and blankets. Johnny sat in the recliner.

"You guys are staying the night?" I asked sleepily. The four of them nodded as they got comfortable. Darry came over to me.

"Sweet dreams, kiddo." He said, kissing the top of my head. He told Ponyboy and Soda goodnight before leaving for his room. Ponyboy sat next to me on my other side and covered himself up with blankets. I closed my eyes and Soda put his arm around me. I sighed deeply and relaxed. I was more tired than I have been in a long time. I was glad this whole day was over.


	9. Chapter 9

_Soda:_

My eyelids snapped open in the darkness of the living room. Thunder crashed outside and the rain clattered on the roof. I looked down at the trembling figure nestled between me and Ponyboy. Jayla was moaning in her sleep and there were tears running down her face from her closed eyes. She was obviously having some sort of nightmare. Immediately, I rubbed her back to soothe her.

"Jayla," I whispered, trying not to wake anyone else up. "Jayla, c'mon. Wake up, honey."

She whimpered and stirred. I continued rubbing her back until she opened her eyes and looked up at me. "Soda?" She said quietly, teardrops still on her cheeks.

"Yeah, kiddo. You okay?"

"Mmm. I had a bad dream." She said tearfully, clinging on to me. I sighed. It wasn't surprising, especially with tonight's events. She, like Ponyboy, was prone to nightmares, mostly when she had a lot on her mind. It was common for her to crawl into bed with Darry or me and Pony after particularly bad ones.

"You want to go and lay down in mine and Pony's bed so you'll have more room to stretch out?" I asked. It had to be uncomfortable for her to try to lay down and sit up at the same time so that there was enough room for me and Ponyboy to sleep, especially with all those bruises and cuts inflicted onto her body.

She nodded, standing up and wrapping her blanket around her shoulders. I guided her around the ones sleeping on the floor and into the hallway. When we got to my room, she climbed into my bed. I took off my shirt and jeans before joining her. I pulled the covers up to her chin.

Suddenly, the thunder sounded even louder. She jumped and shifted closer to me. I put my arms around her and she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath in content.

I thought she had fallen asleep when her voice sounded again. "Hey, Soda?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry for walking home alone like Darry told me not to."

I looked at her in confusion. Out of all the things to say after she just got beat up, she chooses that? "Don't apologize," I replied. "You didn't know the Socs would attack you. You couldn't just sit out in the rain all night waiting for Steve to get there."

I suppressed my anger for my "best friend". If he had just picked her up on time, none of this would have happened. I wouldn't be laying here consoling my injured baby sister. She wouldn't have had to go through something so painful and traumatizing. Everything would have been perfectly fine if it hadn't been for Steve.

"Please don't be mad at him, Soda," Jayla said quietly. "It's not his fault his truck ran out of gas."

"He could have filled it up." I replied bitterly.

"It was an honest mistake," She argued. "It could have happened to anyone. Even you. Or Darry."

"Yeah, yeah." I said, unconvinced.

"You don't understand. You didn't see his face when he found me lying on the ground covered in blood. He feels awful, Soda, I know he does."

I winced when she mentioned the blood. Steve probably saw the worst of it, and I didn't want to imagine what that must have been like for him. It was bad enough when Jayla told us everything that happened. I didn't want to picture what the scene must have looked like. She was right, though, when I thought about it. Steve looked nothing but regretful when Jayla recounted the story. He must be beating himself up over this.

"Okay, I believe you," I said finally. "I ain't mad at him."

"Good." She murmured, shutting her eyes again. I tightened my grip on her as she snuggled even closer. Steve might not be to blame, but those Socs sure were. I wasn't going to let them do that to her again. I would make sure to protect her from now on. No one was ever going to get the chance to hurt her ever again, if I could help it.

Those were my last thoughts as I lay there listening to the rain and Jayla's deep breathing before I finally drifted off to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

_Jayla:_

I woke up the next morning with my head pounding. Warily, I sat up and looked over beside me. Soda must have left for work already, because I was alone in the room. I slid out of bed and proceeded towards the bathroom after gathering clothes for after my shower.

I went into the bathroom and closed the door behind me. My reflection in the mirror caught my eye and I stared. My face was bruised heavily and my cheek was still slightly swollen. It looked almost worse than it felt. I closely resembled an amateur boxer who just lost a fight against a professional. No wonder everyone was reacting the way they were last night.

Sighing, I turned on the water to a cool temperature and stripped. I peeled off my bandages slowly so I wouldn't tug at the skin. My cuts still hurt, and I wasn't sure if I should really be getting them wet. Oh, well. I still had to shower, right?

I stepped under the stream of water and hissed. It made the cuts sting like mad, even though I made sure to keep the water from getting too hot. Nevertheless, I proceeded to wash my body while keeping soap from entering the wounds.

I was rinsing shampoo out of my hair when someone pounded on the door.

"Jayla, breakfast is ready!" It was Two-Bit, and as much as I love him, his shouting was making my head hurt worse. I didn't say that, though.

"I'll be out in a minute!" I called back. Two-Bit cooking? Now there's something I've never heard of. I turned off the water and toweled my hair dry. I dried off my body and stepped out. Pulling on my clothes, I realized that I'd have to redress the cuts, which I didn't know how to do. Maybe Ponyboy could help me.

After brushing my teeth and hair, I exited the humid bathroom. I dumped my dirty clothes in the hamper and went to join the others for breakfast. The warm aroma of pancakes filled the entire front of the house, and my stomach growled loudly. I quickened my steps when I realized that I hadn't eaten anything since lunch yesterday, and I was absolutely starving.

In the kitchen, Darry, Johnny, and Ponyboy sat at the table eating while Two-Bit stood at the stove, spatula in hand. It was quite a sight. Two-Bit rarely cooked anything, and when he did it was almost always disastrous. Even more of a shock was the fact that he had apparently made breakfast edible, since the guys were eating them hungrily. Everyone looked at me when I walked in. Ponyboy smiled and gestured towards the last empty chair. I walked over and sat down between him and Johnny.

"Morning, Jayla," Ponyboy greeted as Two-Bit placed a stack of pancakes drenched in sweet syrup in front of me. "How are you feeling?"

I shrugged. "Fine, I guess. Thanks Two-Bit." Two-Bit nodded and pulled up another chair in between Dally and Johnny.

I picked up my fork and cut a bite of pancake. I tasted it, preparing myself for the worst. Surprisingly, it was actually good. Cooked to the perfect color and had a buttery flavor. I looked at Two-Bit questioningly.

"Two-Bit, since when do you cook?" I asked in mock surprise. He gave me a small smile.

"Since your oldest brother left a box of pancake mix and detailed instructions on the counter."

Well, that explained it. Hey, at least he didn't burn them. I ate another bite.

"Believe me, it came as a shock to us, too," Dally said to me with his mouth full. "It about gave me heart failure when I woke up to find a meal cooked by him on the table."

Two-Bit smacked Dally upside the head, receiving a punch to the shoulder in return. Ponyboy changed the subject.

"How are your cuts?" He asked me. Immediately, everyone stopped talking so they could hear my response.

"I had to take the dressings off of them to shower," I replied. "Can you help me rewrap them after we finish breakfast?"

Ponyboy nodded. We continued eating, making small talk. When my plate was cleaned, I set my dishes in the sink and went into the living room, Ponyboy close behind.

We sat down on the couch and Ponyboy rummaged through the first-aid kit left on the coffee table from last night. He pulled out white gauze and large stick-on bandages. Gently, he grabbed my wrist and pulled my arm towards him.

"Do these hurt?" He asked as he wrapped it.

"Yes, especially when they get wet. Do they look like they're healing okay?"

"Yeah. It may take awhile for them to completely close up, especially considering their location and how deep they are. Just make sure you keep them wrapped up as much as possible.

I giggled, despite the situation. "Yes, Doctor Ponyboy." I said, saluting as if he was an army general. He laughed and began wrapping my other arm.

"What about the bruises?" He asked quietly a few moments of silence.

"Those are fine unless you touch them," I replied. "But they're pretty sensitive if anything bumps them. My muscles are kind of sore, too."

"You should just take it easy for a while, then," he said. "Don't do anything vigorous for a few days."

"No worries there," I muttered. "Darry probably won't let me do anything more than walking for awhile. I don't plan on defying him, either. I'm pretty worn out."

Ponyboy smiled sympathetically and finished up my arms. I lifted my shirt for him to bandage up the cuts on my torso. He gave a low whistle and frowned at them.

"Geez," he said as he began covering me with bandages. "Those look a lot more painful than the ones on your arms."

"They are," I replied, wincing when he put pressure on my abdomen. "They felt like they were on fire earlier."

"That's no surprise. These are quite a bit deeper than the ones on your arms. Shoot, you saw everyone's faces when you took off your shirt so Darry could fix you up last night. I though Dally was about to punch something."

I recalled the memory and grimaced. There wasn't any part of that day I wanted to remember, but I had a feeling it would be hard to forget. Ponyboy stuck the last bandage on my stomach and I pulled down my shirt.

I began thinking of something that had been sitting in the back of my mind since yesterday. This would be the perfect time for me to ask someone and know I'd get an honest answer.

"Ponyboy?" I said softly. He closed up the kit and turned to me.

"Yeah?"

"Is... Is Darry mad at me for trying to walk home by myself?" Truthfully, that's what I had been most worried about all night. I knew that Sodapop wasn't mad at me from our late-night conversation in his room last night, but I didn't knos about Darry. My eldest brother can be pretty good at hiding his feelings from people when he wants to.

Ponyboy frowned and put an arm around me. "No, of course not," he assured me. "He's just worried, that's all. Don't let it stress you out, it's no one's fault that Steve's truck ran out of gas when it was raining. He might be mad at those Socs for doing this to you, but he's definitely not mad at you."

It felt like a weight had been lifted from my chest. Darry wasn't mad at me _or_ Steve. The Steve part was definitely an added plus. I wouldn't have to convince Darry and Ponyboy of Steve's regret like I did with Soda.

I relaxed into the couch and leaned my head on Ponyboy's shoulder. He just smiled. I don't have many of these sweet brother/sister moments with Pony. It was mostly a thing that occurred with Sodapop, who was definitely more affectionate than my other brothers. He welcomed them, unlike Pony and Darry, who usually just tolerated my strong emotions. But I knew that Pony didn't mind me being so close to him then, especially after what I went through last night. It was sure a relief to be able to have brothers that I could open up to.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello, my wonderful readers! I'm back to give you chapter eleven! I hope you enjoy it! Happy reading! :D**

"Did you get everything all patched up again?" Two-Bit asked. He, Dally, and Johnny had just came through the doorway to the kitchen. I sat up.

"Yeah, thanks to Pony." I said, nudging my brother. He grinned and grabbed the remote off the coffee table to turn on the TV. I glanced at the clock. It was Mickey Mouse/Jeopardy time again.

"All right, what are we going to watch?" Ponyboy asked everyone. I looked at Two-Bit.

"Two-Bit," I said softly. "Mickey's on." I surely wasn't going to argue with him over the TV again. He smiled at me.

"Ponyboy, turn it to Jeopardy." He instructed, surprising me. Ponyboy obliged, but I just stared at Two-Bit. What happened to "oldest gets remote privileges"? But, as uncharacteristic as it was of Two-Bit to turn down Mickey Mouse so I could watch my show, I wasn't going to refuse. Instead, I smiled back at him, feeling somewhat closer to him.

We all watched Jeopardy in silence, minus the occasional answer being shouted out by me or Ponyboy. Everyone else just watched quietly, either due to indifference (Johnny) or being on the verge of falling asleep (Two-Bit and Dally). When the half-hour was up, Dally suddenly got up from the recliner and grabbed Two-Bit's keys off the hook by the door.

"C'mon, Jayla," he said, waiting by the door. "Me and Johnnycake are taking you for a ride"

I stood up slowly, looking at Johnny. He gave me a small smile before joining Dally by the front door.

"Where are we going?" I asked Dally suspiciously. He just shared a look with Johnny.

"We'll explain on the way. Now grab your shoes and let's go."

Apprehensively, I grabbed my sneakers from next to the door and put them on. I hoped Dally wasn't taking me anywhere Darry wouldn't approve of. I really didn't want to be responsible for Dally being banned from the house, especially when Darry was bound to have a short fuse. Still, I followed Johnny out the door, Dally behind me.

"We'll be back for lunch." He yelled in the open door before slamming it behind him and ushering me towards Two-Bit's car. He and Johnny got in the front, leaving me to sit in the back. I rubbed my hand across the worn seat. The same worn seat that I had been rushed home on the night before. I shuddered internally at the memory, and focused my thoughts on the present.

"Can you tell me where you're taking me now?" I asked Dally as he pulled out of the driveway. He looked at me in the rear-view mirror.

"We're going to the lot." He replied.

"What for?"

"You'll see when we get there."

I frowned at him, but didn't say anything else. We rode for a few more minutes before the old vacant parking lot came into view. Dally parked the car on the side of the road, and we got out. I followed Dally and Johnny about ten yards away and crossed my arms.

"What are we doing here, Dally?" I asked, glaring at him.

He raised an eyebrow. "We're gonna teach you how to fight."

My mouth dropped. Teach me to fight? Absolutely not! I refuse to get into fistfights unless it's necessary. Surely he didn't expect me to let him show me how to hurt someone.

"No. No, I'm not doing it," I said defiantly. "I'm not going to learn the best way to injure someone"

"You need to be prepared for anything. You don't want that happening to you again." Dally gestured towards my arms.

"Yeah, well..." I trailed off, not really sure of a reply. "I'm not going to go around starting fistfights if that's what you're wanting me to do. Besides, do you really think Darry would agree to let you do this?"

Dally rolled his eyes. "Kid, I'm trying to show you how to prevent getting beaten up, not how to encourage it. I'm just going to show you how to block a punch and things like that. Plus, he already knows. We discussed it this morning before he left and he thinks it's a good idea."

I thought for a moment. "Fine. Go ahead and show me." I agreed, still skeptical. Dally grinned before pulling Johnny a few feet away for demonstration.

"Okay," he began as he and Johnny faced each other. "First thing you need to know is how to block a straight punch. Watch what I do when Johnny tries to hit me."

I watched as Johnny shot a fist towards Dally's gut and Dally caught him before it could make contact.

"Just grab your opponent's fist with your hand before they can hit you," he instructed. "Then, hit 'em in the side with your other fist while you've still got a hold on them. You savvy?"

I nodded. They did a few more demonstrations while teaching me how to dodge and how to throw a straight punch myself. Then, Dally backed up.

"You wanna try a few swings and dodges?"

I shook my head quickly. I didn't want to get into a fight with Dally OR Johnny, even if it was a fake one. "No, I'll just keep watching y'all do it."

Dally frowned and grabbed my arm, pulling me in front of him to face Johnny. "You gotta practice so you know if you're doing it right."

"Let go of me, Dally." I said, squirming to get out of his grip. He kept a tight hold on my wrist and looked at Johnny for help.

"Come on, Jayla," Johnny coaxed. "I ain't gonna hurt ya. Promise."

I stopped and thought about it. At least it was Johnny and not Dally. Dally would never hurt me intentionally, but he could be a bit careless at times. Johnny would be more careful.

"Fine," I said grudgingly. "Just don't hit too hard." Johnny laughed.

"You're supposed to be dodging them, remember? But don't worry, I'll be careful."

Dally let go if me and helped me position myself correctly. "When Johnny throws a punch, I want you to either dodge it or block it like I showed you." He stepped back to observe.

I managed to block or dodge all if the punches Johnny sent my way. I reluctantly shot a few hits towards him, which he blocked no problem. Finally, Dally said we could stop and we headed to the car.

"You throw a decent punch, kid," Dally told me as we got in. "I reckon you'll even be able to take a couple of Socs down at the rumble."

I narrowed my eyes. "What rumble?"

"We told you last night that we can't just let them get away with hurting you. Besides, it's about time we put them in their place."

I frowned at him. "Isn't there some other way to do that without hurting people?" I knew my protest wouldn't change anything, but it was worth a shot.

"Of course not. You know as well as I do that the Socs aren't going to go down without a fight. Besides, what's the fun in 'talking it over'?" Dally made a face at the thought of making agreements peacefully.

I leaned back and sat in silence. It was obvious that Dally wasn't going to listen to me, but that didn't mean that no one else would. I was determined to stop this fight from happening. I would be having a chat with Darry when he got home.

**That's the end of this chapter! I know it's short, but I'm about to throw a couple of plot twists at you soon! I'll update again as soon a possible. I'm trying to work on this ****_and_****a one-shot to go in the series at the same time, so check back frequently! But before you go, I want to ask a few questions. What has been your favorite part of the entire story so far? Do you have any suggestions for the story?** **Just leave the answers in a review along with anything else you want to say, and I will gladly read and consider them! I hope you've enjoyed this chapter! Thank you!**


	12. Chapter 12

**I know it's been a while, but I've been working on another story too! It also involves the infamous Jayla Curtis, so check it out! Anyways, I haven't had access to a computer. You all should probably expect really random updates, because I have spells where I don't have computer-access for a month and then spells where I have it every day for two weeks! So bear with me here! Anyways, here you go!**

The next day was Saturday, which meant that it was Darry and Soda's day off. Darry was reading the newspaper in his recliner when I entered the room. My other brothers were nowhere to be found.

"Morning," I greeted, yawning. "Where is everyone?"

Darry looked up at me. "Good morning," he said, giving me a warm smile. "Soda and Pony are still asleep, and I guess everyone else is at their own houses. How did you sleep?"

I shrugged and sat down on the couch. "Pretty good. What about you?"

"I slept okay. Hey, how would feel about staying the night at Angela's tonight so that the rest of us can go to the drag races?"

"Sounds good to me," I replied. "It's been at least a week since I saw Angie last. It will be nice to get caught up again."

Angela Shepard has been my best friend since we were in kindergarten. Since we were both greasers and lived within a mile of each other, we normally saw a lot of each other. I won't pretend her oldest brother doesn't scare me a bit, because he has a reputation to match Dally's. But the chance of running into Tim Shepard would be worth it if it meant I could hang out with Angie.

Darry grinned and picked up his paper again. "Great. I'll drop you off this afternoon." He continued reading. I went into the kitchen and began pulling stuff out of the refrigerator. Usually, the first one to wake up is supposed to make breakfast, but I had a craving for bacon and eggs. I warmed the pan on the stove and cracked eggs into it. Before long, I had a spread of sunny-side up eggs and crispy bacon on the table, complete with orange juice and a stack of plates.

"Mmm, something smells good," Darry said as he walked in the kitchen. He eyed the food on the table in surprise. "You made breakfast?"

I nodded. "Yep, grab a plate. I'm going to wake up Soda and Pony."

"No need," Right on cue, Sodapop and Ponyboy came through the door. "You should know by now that the smell of bacon can wake anyone who lives in this house up."

Everyone sat down at the table and started to eat. When every last bit of the food had disappeared, Darry and Sodapop volunteered to do the dishes. I gladly obliged, so Ponyboy and I went back into the living room. Before I could sit down, Ponyboy went over to the door.

"Do you want to go meet up with Johnny with me?" He asked, lacing up his sneakers. I grinned.

"Yeah, sure! Just let me get dressed." I ran off to my room and threw on some shorts and a t-shirt. I brushed my teeth and ran a comb through my hair before slipping on my sneakers. When I got back, Ponyboy was patiently waiting for me at the door.

"I already told Darry that we were going." He said as he held the screen door open. We started walking down the sidewalk, hands in our pockets.

"So where are we meeting Johnnycakes?" I asked.

"The park. We figured we could just hang out for a while before we go to the races tonight."

"Cool." We continued walking until we reached the playground. Johnny was nowhere to be found.

"We're early." Ponyboy said, looking at his watch.

I spotted the swingset and nudged my brother. "Hey, Pony, you remember when Mom and Dad used to bring us here as kids?"

He laughed, recalling the memory. "Yeah. You and I would always fight over who had to push the other on the swing."

"As I recall, you pushing me on the swing was how I lost my first tooth."

"Only because you decided to let go off the chains when I was trying to push you over the bar on top." He teased.

"It's okay, I got you back by pushing you backwards down the slide, remember?"

He laughed. Suddenly, I had an idea.

"Hey, Pony," I said softly. "You want to go push each other on the swings? For old times sake?"

Ponyboy thought for a moment, then gave me a smile. "Yeah, let's do it."

We walked over to the swings and he motioned towards one of the higher ones. "Sit down. I'll push you first."

I obeyed, and he grabbed the bottom of the chains near the seat. "Hang on tight." He said as he pulled the swing back. I squeezed the chains and he let go, sending me sailing away from him. He continued to push me until I was going high enough to keep moving by myself. He sat in the swing next to mine and proceeded to push himself off the ground. We played around like that, laughing and remembering old times. Nostalgia overwhelmed me. It was just like being in elementary school with my brother again.

After about fifteen minutes of being swung up in the air repeatedly, my legs were getting tired of kicking to gain height. I dragged my feet in the dirt and hopped off. Ponyboy followed my lead. We climbed onto the top of the monkey bars and hung out until Johnny arrived a few minutes later. Spotting us, he climbed up and sat next to Ponyboy.

"Hey, guys." He greeted.

"Hey, Johnny."

"Hi, Johnnycakes."

"Sorry I took so long to get here," he gave us an apologetic look. "It took me a while to get away from my parents"

"Don't worry about it," Ponyboy assured him. "Jayla insisted on playing on the swings, so it killed some time pushing her."

He laughed and I smacked him on the head.

"Ow!" He cried, rubbing the spot I'd just hit. "What was that for?"

"You didn't seem to have a problem with it when you were swinging too, Ponyboy Curtis." I said playfully. He pretended to frown and Johnny laughed at the pair of us.

"Do y'all want to go to the lot and toss around the football?" Johnny asked. Ponyboy glanced at me.

"Darry said that Jayla can't play football without a whole bunch of gear to keep her from getting hurt."

"It's fine," I told them. "I can still toss it around, I just can't get tackled or anything."

"Okay, then," Ponyboy said as he slid off the monkey bars. "Let's go."

We walked towards the lot, joking around as we went. Once we got there, Ponyboy sprinted ahead and rummaged through some bushes, reammerging with the slightly-deflated football in his hands. The three of us spread out until we formed a triangle and Ponyboy tossed it to Johnny. Johnny threw it to me, and I returned it to Ponyboy.

"This is boring," I said after the ball had made it's rounds about six times. "Johnny, if you'll throw it to me I'll run and catch it from far away."

The two boys exchanged a look. "Are you sure?" Johnny asked. "Those bruises probably still hurt, and if you fall..."

"I'll be fine," I told him. "It's not like I've never fell before."

"Okay, if you're positive," Johnny replied. "Go run ahead and I'll toss it to you."

I ran about a hundred feet away and Johnny threw the football in my direction. It spiraled in the air and I kept pace with it, trying to stay within arm's length of it. It sailed dangerously close the the ground and I dived to the earth, catching it just in time. I did several saumersalts, holding the football tightly, before I finally came to a stop flat on my back. Wincing, I pushed myself up with the arm that wasn't completely covered in bandages. Ponyboy and Johnny were running towards me, worry etched onto their faces.

"Are you alright?" Ponyboy asked as Johnny helped me up. I gave him a shaky smile and dusted off the back of my shorts, the ball cradled in the crook of my arm.

"I'm good," I replied. "Maybe a few more bruises to add to the collection, but I'm good."

"Did you hit your head when you were rolling on the ground like that?" Johnny asked.

"Nope."

"Good." Johnny said, letting out a relieved sigh. Ponyboy put an arm around me and the three of us headed back towards the street. I handed the ball to Johnny as we started back to the house.

"Do you want to come home with us, Johnnycakes?" I asked him. He nodded and smiled.

"Yeah, that would be cool. Thanks."

"You know you're always welcome." Ponyboy told him. He gave a small nod.

"Yeah, I know."

**Did everyone like the swingset scene? Was it cute? What about the football fall? LOL, I love you guys for reading this! Feel free to review, because it will make my day! Oh, and let me know if you have any ideas for one-shots involving the Curtis sister, also! Check out my new story that I mentioned above , too! Until next time, I love you guys! 3**


	13. Chapter 13

**Again, I don't own The Outsiders!**

Me, Johnny, and Ponyboy walked into the house, our stomachs rumbling. Ponyboy and Johnny sat down with Steve and Dally in the living room while I went into the kitchen. Darry was standing at the stove, cooking something in a frying pan.

"Mm, smells good, Darry," I commented, sniffing the air. "What are you cooking?"

"Grilled cheeses." He responded. I smiled. Grilled cheese sandwiches was one of my favorite foods, and Darry knew it.

"Anything I can help with?" I offered. He flipped a sandwich over in the pan.

"Could you get the chocolate milk out of the fridge and pour some for everyone?" I nodded and crossed the room. I pulled a gallon of milk out of the refrigerator and proceeded to pour six glasses full. I placed them on the counter next to a stack of plates and waited while Darry finished up. After a couple of minutes, he put a plate piled high with grilled cheeses on the table.

"Lunchtime!" He called to the gang. Everyone in the house at the time came running in. The kitchen was complete chaos as everyone scurried to get plates and drinks and seat themselves at the table. In the end, everyone had two sandwiches on their plate with plenty left. Dally and Ponyboy ended up sitting on stools, as there weren't enough chairs to go around.

"Where's Soda and Two-Bit?" I asked as everyone started eating.

"They went on a walk not long before you guys got back," Steve replied. "Said something about going to the store for more chocolate cake ingredients." I nodded and took a bite of my sandwich. It was perfectly gooey in the middle and buttery on the outside. It's not just Sodapop that can cook around here, Darry's a pretty good chef himself.

"Wait, so you're out of chocolate cake?" Dally said. "Aw, man!"

Suddenly, I had an idea. "Darry, can we go out for ice cream when we finish?" I asked hopefully, speaking for me and Ponyboy. The rest of the gang can do as they please, but Darry still has to give my brothers and I permission before we go anywhere.

Darry considered it. "I've got to do a few fix-it projects around the house before I can go to the races tonight. But you and Pony can go if you want."

Ponyboy and I whooped. I turned to Dally, Steve, and Johnny. "Are you guys coming, too?"

Dally said something uncomprehendable with food in his mouth, Steve nodded, and Johnny grinned. I looked back at Darry.

"Can we have some money?" I asked. Darry frowned slightly, but took out his wallet and pulled a five dollar bill from it. He handed it to Ponyboy, who stuffed it in his pocket.

"Thanks, Darry." I gushed. He gave me a small smile and we all continued eating. When we were all done, we put the dishes in the sink. Then, everyone but Darry got ready to go.

We left the house and started walking down the sidewalk towards downtown Tulsa. There was this really great ice cream shop there that sold twenty flavors in various ways. You could get malts, shakes, cones, sundaes, pretty much anything if you've got the cash. Today, though, I was craving one thing.

"I'll have a peanut butter ice cream cone, please." I said to the man at the cash register once we arrived. Everyone else gave their orders and we waited, sitting on the red plastic stools at the counter. The man came back with six cones balanced on a special tray. Chocolate for Ponyboy, Pistachio for Steve, Butter Pecan for Johnny, Vanilla for Dally, and Peanut Butter for me. Ponyboy handed the five dollar bill to the man and he gave us our change, along with the cones. We left the shop in a considerably better mood, licking our ice cream cones as we walked down the street.

"Y'all wanna go to the lot?" Dally asked. Ponyboy and Johnny shared a glance and looked at me nervously. I knew they were thinking about the incident with the football earlier. We had agreed not to tell anyone so Darry wouldn't go ballistic, but it was obvious they were about to prevent it from happening again.

"Er, let's not go to the lot right now," Ponyboy replied. "We could always go to the park and sit by the fountain.

Dally shrugged, indifferent. I didn't care where we went as long as we found some shade. The sun was blistering and I was breaking out into a sweat despite eating cold food. Everyone else seemed to agree, so for the second time that day we headed in the direction of the park.

The fountain was bubbling cheerfully when we got there, and we sat down on the benches placed strategically around it. We were all trying to get the last dregs of ice cream out of the cones at that point. I licked a drop off the side and bit into the cone with a loud CRUNCH.

"You know, I bet if Two-Bit was here he'd be drunk and trying to swim in that fountain." Steve commented. I chuckled, trying to picture the scene. For some reason, all I could imagine was Two-Bit standing fully-clothed in the water while squirting beer in the air from his mouth.

"I wouldn't blame him for it, either," Dally said, wiping his brow. "It's hotter than Marilyn Monroe out here, and that's saying something!"

I gave him a devilish grin. "You're hot? Well, why don't you go sit next to the water, Dally?" I looked at Steve, who was eying me with his eyebrows raised. I glanced pointedly from Dally to the fountain, and Steve gave a small nod, his mouth curling into a smile.

"Yeah, she's right, Dally," he said loudly. "Sitting next to the water will cool you right down."

Dally looked confused, but apparently shook it off. He wiped sweat off his forehead again. "Good idea, kid," he told me as he got up to sit on the edge of the fountain. "Maybe I can get some of the drops to hit me as the come down." He sat down and leaned over, his upper body hovering over the water. I looked pointedly at Steve who stood up and started walking over to Dally.

"Whoops!" He "tripped" over his feet on his way over and threw his hands out, shoving Dally face-first into the water. "Sorry, Dal! I tripped!"

Dally looked up at him from his position in the water. He was soaking wet, and I could tell Ponyboy and Johnny were trying to hold back laughs, too. Dally slowly got up, a murderous look in his eyes.

"I'm gonna kick both of you into next week!" He said to me and Steve. A low growl emitted from his throat. I looked at Steve, my eyes wide, and he nodded. We both took off running, laughing as Dally climbed out of the fountain and chased after us. Steve and I ran until we reached the main road, at which point we darted into an alley. We hid behind a dumpster, snickering as Dallas ran right past the alley. Steve looked at me and threw an arm over my shoulder.

"Nicely played, kid!" He said, holding up his hand for a high-five. I slapped it and he grinned.

"You know he's gonna kill us when he finds us, right?" I replied, still chuckling.

"Nah, he'll have cooled off a bit by that time. Well, not any cooler than he already is!"

I laughed and we exited the alley. I looked in both directions. Dally was nowhere in sight, but Ponyboy and Johnny were walking down the road towards us, big grins on their faces.

"That was great!" Johnny called. "God knows I needed a laugh like that!"

Ponyboy didn't say anything as we approached. He was laughing so hard he was holding on to Johnny for support. "Oh my... gosh," he managed to choke out. "That was... hilarious!"

I smiled proudly. Steve elbowed me. "C'mon, let's head back to your place," he said. "We gotta get ready to go the races tonight."

Still laughing and recounting the memory, we all walked back down the street, this time without Dally. I knew he'd probably hold this against me for the rest of the night, but for now, all I could do was laugh as I pictured his shocked face when he landed in the fountain.

**That's all! If you have time, leave me a review! Let me know if you hated it, loved it, liked, it , disliked it, or anything! Thanks for reading! I love you all!**


	14. Chapter 14

**I've got a nice, long chapter for y'all! Here goes!**

"Hey, Darry!" I called cheerfully as we got close to the house. I could see him leaning against his truck, downing a bottle of water. He had sweat stains on his shirt and a red face.

"Hey, kiddo." He replied when we came up to him.

"Why are you sweating so much, Darry?" Ponyboy questioned. Darry jerked a thumb towards his truck.

"Cleaning out my truck," he responded. "It's really hot out here."

"You wouldn't have happened to have seen Dally anywhere, would you?" Steve asked him with a glance at me. I looked down at the ground, hiding my smile.

"Actually, he's in the house showering," Darry said. "Said something about you two pushing him into a fountain?"

"He said he was hot." I pointed out.

"You shouldn't have done that. He came back dripping wet and shivering." Darry looked at me and Steve sternly, but I could tell he was trying to hold back a laugh. I put on my best innocent face.

"But, Darry, we were just trying to help," I said. "At least we cooled him off. He should be grateful that we were so considerate."

Darry bit his lip, but my puppy-dog eyes won him over. He grinned widely and chuckled.

"All right, all right, you got me," he said. "He DID look pretty funny."

"I know, right?" I replied, giggling. "You should have seen his face when he landed in the water!" Steve, Ponyboy, and Johnny laughed at the memory.

"I'm sure it was priceless," Darry said still amused. "Hey, kid, go inside and get your stuff ready to go. We're going to head to the races after I drop you off at the Shepards' place."

I nodded and ran up the porch steps and through the front door. Two-Bit was sitting on the couch watching TV with a beer bottle in his hand. I flashed a smile at him.

"What's up, Two-Bit?"

"Watching Mickey." He replied in a monotone, not taking his eyes off the screen. I raised my eyebrows.

"Isn't that the same episode you watched yesterday?" He nodded.

I laughed and went to my room and opened my closet, looking for my backpack. Then I remembered that the Socs had taken it the other night when I got jumped. I frowned and went across the hall to Ponyboy and Sodapop's room, where Soda was changing his shirt.

"Hi, Soda." I greeted. He looked up and saw me standing in the doorway

"Hello, Baby Sister!" He said smiling as he crossed the room and pulled me in for a hug. I looked up at him.

"Can I borrow a bag to put my stuff in?" I asked. He let go of me and looked at me in confusion.

"What happened to that blue backpack I got you for Christmas?" He asked.

"Those Socs stole it when I brought it with me to the library." I muttered, avoiding his eyes.

"What all was in it? You didn't lose anything important, did you?"

"They took my library card." I replied sadly. Sodapop gave me a sympathetic look.

"Aw, it's okay," he said, rubbing my shoulder comfortingly. "We'll get you another library card AND backpack. But for now, you can use the backpack I keep my racing outfit in."

"Won't you need it for drag racing tonight?" I questioned. He rubbed his neck with one hand.

"Er, not tonight. We're just going to, uh, watch the races. I'm not actually racing."

There was something funny about the way he kept avoiding my gaze, but I brushed it off. "Okay, where's the bag?"

"In there." He said, pointing at the closet. I crossed the messy room and opened the closet door. The stench of dirty clothes nearly knocked me back. I pinched my nose.

"Geez, Soda, no wonder Darry hardly ever has to do your laundry!" I exclaimed. He grinned sheepishly.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. It should be somewhere under all those clothes. You want me to get it?"

"Nah, I've got it." I replied. I took a deep breath and begin picking up dirty laundry so I could see the floor. I cringed when my hands touched a pair of dirty underwear that smelled like something had died in them. Finally, I unearthed the green backpack Soda was talking about i unzipped it and pulled out his helmet and uniform. I turned to him and gave him the gear. Hr took it from me and tossed it back in the closet, shoving the door shut.

"Thanks." I said.

"No problem. I'll see you tomorrow when you get back, okay?"

"Yeah, okay." I replied. I hugged him goodbye, smelling his faint gasoline scent that always seemed to linger with him. He hugged me back tightly and I left the room.

Back in my bedroom, I threw some clothes along with my hairbrush in the backpack. When I went to the bathroom to get my toothbrush, the door was shut and I could hear the shower running. I knocked on the door.

"Dally, can you let me in? I need to get my toothbrush!"

"No! Your teeth can rot for all I care!" He shouted back. I sighed. Apparently, he was still mad about the fountain. Oh, well, maybe Angela would have an extra toothbrush I could use, because I was NOT facing an angry Dally.

I went back outside, my bag slung over my shoulder. "You ready to go?" Darry asked when I came out. I nodded and we got in the truck, leaving Ponyboy, Johnny, and Steve sitting on the front porch.

Darry stopped in front of the Shepard house. "Have fun," he told me before I got out. "And stay out of trouble. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning at nine. If you need anything, you cam call the house. We'll be home by ten."

"Thanks, Darry." I replied, opening the door. He drove away and I went up to the front door. Before I could knock, though, the door opened and Angela pulled me inside.

"Jayla! Oh my gosh, are you okay?" She asked, throwing her arms around my neck. "I heard from Tim that you got jumped! What happened?"

Before she could go into hysterics, I gave her a rushed account of what happened. She grabbed my arm and began unwrapping the bandages so she could see for herself.

"Please don't," I asked, gently pulling my arm out of her grip. "They hurt, and I'm supposed to keep them covered anyways."

Angela looked at me in concern. "They? How many times did the Socs cut you?"

"Five cuts on my right arm, seven cuts on my left." I replied.

Angela swore, a horrified look on her face. I bit my lip and looked away. The tension was thick in the air, and neithrr of us knew what to say next. Finally, Angela spoke.

"Let's go into the living room. My mom and dad are away for the weekend, so I've been hanging out with Tim and Curly." I followed her through the hallway and into her living room. Tim and Curly were both nonchalantly staring at the TV. Neither of them looked up when we entered the room.

"Want to play Poker?" Angela asked me, motioning towards the card table. I nodded. Dally was better than Poker than any of the gang, and he had taught me how to play as soon as I turned old enough to start joining in on most of the gang's activities. Angela grabbed a shoebox off the shelf and opened it to reveal a pack of cards and a rainbow of Poker chips.

"You guys wanna play?" She asked her brothers. They agreed, and turned off the TV before joining us at the card table. Angela began dividing up Poker chips and I grabbed the deck of cards from the box. I shuffled the cards like Dally showed me and dealt for four people. Twenty cards and sixty Poker chips later, we had everything set up and ready to play.

"What are we betting on?" Curly asked.

"How about cancer sticks?" Tim suggested. "Each red chip equals one cigarette, each blue equals five, and each yellow equals ten?"

"I don't have any cigarettes to bet with," I pointed out. "I don't buy smokes."

"You can have a couple packs of mine to start you off," Angela told me. "I bought a big carton of them for cheap the other day and I don't smoke nearly enough to use them all."

I nodded. "Cool. Thanks, Angie." She smiled and went to her room, coming bacl a few moments later with several packs of cigarettes. She gave me two and put the rest to the side. I never smoked, but if I won anything I'd give it to Dally. He taught me to play in the first place, and maybe it would make peace between us.

Curly checked over to Tim, who placed a blue chip in the pot. Angie did the same. When it was my turn, I raised the bet to twenty and placed a yellow chip in front of me. The game had barely started and already I had a straight flush. Curly put up the same amount and we launched into the draw. I left my cards alone and watched as the rest of them exchanged up to three cards by drawing from the deck. When everyone had a permanent hand Tim raised the bet to forty. Angela folded with a frown on her face. I put down another yellow chip like Tim had and the final call went to Curly. He folded, also, leaving me and Tim for the flop. We both put our chips in the pot.

"You turn over your cards first." I told him.

"Gladly." He replied, smirking. He turned his cards over. He had three sevens and two queens, a full house. The look on his face made it obvious that he thought he was about to win.

"Well played, Shepard," I commented deviously, flipping my cards over. "Bur not well enough." The smile on his face vanished as I revealed my Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and Ten.

"I'll take those fifty cigarettes, now." I said smugly. Angela gave me five, Curly gave me fifteen, and (to my great satisfaction) Tim Shepard forked over a whopping thirty-five smokes.

"Wanna play again?" Angela asked. I shook my head.

"Nah. I've taken too many of your cigarettes," I replied with a wry smile as I put the smokes in the front pocket of my backpack. "Dally doesn't need this many. Can we do something else?"

"It's almost five-thirty. We could always try to catch a six o' clock movie."

"What's playing?" I asked.

"Lucky Lifeguards is still in theaters," She suggested. "I'm game if you want to see that."

"Sounds good to me." I agreed, standing up.

"It's settled, then," Angela said. "We'll get tickets for the 6:00 showing and get a large bucket of popcorn for dinner." I laughed. Angela stood up and looked expectantly at Tim, who sighed and took out his wallet.

"Make it last." He told her as he gave her a ten dollar bill. Angie pocketed it and we made our way to the door.

"Uh, Angie?" I stopped her when we walked onto the porch. "Do... do you have a switchblade with you?" If we were walking alone, I wanted to make sure we could defend ourselves if the Socs came by again. Angie turned and stared at me, eyes wide as saucers.

"YOU want to carry a weapon down the street?" She asked in disbelief. "What happened to hating fights?"

"Just in case we see the Socs from the other night." I said quietly. She frowned.

"Yeah, I've got a blade. Actually, Tim made me start carrying one at all times after he heard about what happened with you. Those Socs won't stand a chance if they run into me."

I breathed a sigh of relief, and nodded. "Okay, we can go now." We kept walking, making our way towards the theater.

**What do you think, my beautiful readers?**


	15. Chapter 15

**Here goes!**

We purchased two tickets to Lucky Lifeguards, plus a mega-bucket of popcorn and sodas. By the time the movie was over, it was almost eight. Darkness had fallen, and we walked back towards her house in the warm night air.

"Angie, you got a toothbrush I can borrow?" I asked, picking a popcorn kernel from my teeth as we strolled along.

"Yeah, we have some spare ones under the bathroom sink," she replied. "That movie was pretty good, wasn't it?"

"The story was pretty dull, to tell you the truth."

"Yeah, but the male lead was CUTE!" She exclaimed. I rolled my eyes.

"He was decent, I'll give you that. But that doesn't mean the movie was good."

"I wasn't even paying attention to the movie, honestly. I was too busy drooling over his muscles!"

We arrived at her house and walked up the steps. Angie opened the door and we stepped into the dark house.

"Why's it so dark in here?" I asked. Angie switched on the lights.

"We're the only ones home. Tim and Curly must have shut off the lights before they left."

"Where did they go?" I asked. Angie turned to me and gave me a funny look.

"They went to the rumble." She said as if it should be obvious. I narrowed my eyes.

"What rumble?" I said in a dangerous voice.

Angela continued to look at me like I was supposed to know the answers to my questions already. "You know, the rumble at the vacant lot tonight? Socs vs. Greasers?" She said. "I thought that was the whole reason you came over, so you wouldn't be by yourself while your gang was fighting."

My jaw dropped. I couldn't believe it. Darry said they would cancel the rumble. I was lied to by my own brothers! Instantly, I turned around and ran back out the open front door.

"Where are you going?" Angie called behind me.

"I'm going to the rumble!" I shouted back. I had to stop the fight. I wasn't going to sit there and let everyone get hurt because of me. It wasn't too late to stop it. At least, I hoped it wasn't.

Angela's house is even closer to the lot than my house is, so it took less than five minutes to get there. Cars were parked all along the street, a mixture of Soc and greaser rides. This fight wasn't some little argument. It looked like nearly half the town had shown up.

I scanned the scene for my brothers. People were beating each other to a pulp everywhere, and it looked like the Socs were in favor. None of my gang seemed to be visible from my position by the street, though. I warily began walking through the grass towards the action.

I spotted Johnny leaning against a tree, nursing a long scrape on his arm. Immediately, I ran over. His eyes widened and he gasped when he saw me.

"Jayla! What are you doing here? I thought you were at the Shepards!"

"I was, until I found out about the rumble," I said bitterly. "You seen Darry anywhere?"

"He's around here somewhere. Probably pounding a Soc," he replied. "You shouldn't be here!"

"Well, I'm not just going to sit by and let everyone get hurt!" I gestured towards his arm. "By the looks of it, people have already gotten injured."

"This is nothing," He said firmly. "You ought to leave. This fight is rougher than we expected. Ain't no place for thirteen-year olds."

"I've got to convince Darry to stop the rumble!" I said, exasperated.

"No chance of that," Johnny told me. "He's pretty determined. Besides that, we're right in the middle of the fight. Best thing you can do is let me walk you back to the Shepards."

"No," I said stubbornly. "I'm going to find Darry. Maybe I can at least get him to forfeit or something.

Johnny opened his mouth, but no words came out. He stared behind me with a horrified look. I turned, expecting to see one of the gang. Instead, I found myself face-to-face with two of the Socs from the other night.

"Look who it is, Tony." One of them said to the other. For the first time, I really took in their appearances. "Tony" was tall and blonde with a square chin and big nose. The other guy had big muscles and dark hair.

"Hey, greaser," Tony said with a sneer. "Long time no see. "

"Y'all leave her alone," Johnny said threateningly behind me. I could hear the fear in his voice to match my own. "She didn't do nothing to you."

"That's the thing," Tony said. "It's mainly just the fact that she is a greaser that makes me want to do something."

I found my voice. "Nothing wrong with being a greaser," I said bravely. "Only downside is that we have to stand you Socs every day."

"What did I tell ya, Rick?" Tony said to his partner. "These guys need to be taught who's in control. Any idea on how to do that?"

"I say we take her and rough her up a bit. Maybe keep her for a while and teach her not to defy her superiors." Rick replied.

"What are you-" I started. I didn't finish my sentence, however, because two strong hands grabbed me from behind, covering my mouth. I looked behind me and saw the other two Socs from the other night. The one not holding on to me was holding Johnny down on the grass and covering his mouth. I kicked my attacker and bit down on his hand so he'd let me go. I only succeeded in getting a blow to the side of the head.

Dazed, I tried to twist out of his grip but he held tight. Rick came over and they both attempted to calm me down. I gave a muffled scream, but no one seemed to hear me over the fights. Johnny had escaped his captor and had run off, presumably to get help. I continued to thrash, but the Soc held tight. Finally, Tony approached me and started punching me in the face. A hit to my temple was all it took for me to go limp in the Soc's arms.

I barely registered what was happening as several hands grabbed at me. I felt myself being dragged across the dirt by my wrists. I never got to see what they did after that. In a split second, everything became nothing, and I succumbed to darkness.

**Plot twist! I'd love a few reviews. :)**


	16. Chapter 16

_Johnny:_

I watched in horror as the Soc not pinning me to the grass grabbed Jayla from behind and covered her mouth with his hand. There was no way I could intervene, it was four Socs against two greasers, one of which was completely defenseless and couldn't hurt anyone willingly. The guy clamped his hand down on my mouth and I violently squirmed out from his hold. I angrily watched them start hitting her before I ran off to get Darry. I couldn't handle this on my own, and those guys looked like they were ready to kidnap her.

I found him engaged in a one-on-one fight with a Soc twice his size. Darry seemed to be taking most of the hits, so I ran headfirst into the Soc, knocking us both to the ground. I sprang up and with Darry's help, we succeeded in faltering the guy's movement. Darry stood up, panting, and gave me a look of appreciation.

"Thanks, Johnny." He said, gesturing towards the motionless Soc on the ground. I wiped sweat out of my eyes and looked at Darry fearfully.

"Darry, it's Jayla. She's here!"

His eyes got wide and panic-stricken. "What? She's here? Fighting?"

"No, she came to stop the rumble, but a bunch of Socs got a hold of her!"

"Lead the way." Darry said. I ran as fast as I could back towards the tree she found me at, Darry running like mad close behind me. I stopped in my tracks when we got there, seeing nobody present.

My heart sank. "They must of took her." I said, mortified. Darry cursed and looked at me in horror.

"What happened?"

I launched into the story. "I was standing over here, catching my breath, when she came out of nowhere and ran up to me. Said she was looking for you so that she could convince you to stop the rumble. I told her she should go back to the Shepards and that I could take her, but four Socs came over. I think they were the ones that jumped her the other night. Anyway, they grabbed us both and held me down so that they could get at her. I got away and came to find you just as they had her mouth covered and was punching her to a pulp."

It was a lot to say, especially for me, but this was a life-or-death situation here. Darry must of been thinking along the lines of a kidnapping like I had, because he immediately said, "Get the guys and see if they saw the Socs you mentioned. We need to find her before they leave the area."

I nodded and started running back towards the action, rounding up the gang. It wasn't hard, because three out of five of them were fighting in a group. In a rush, I explained to Steve, Pony, and Soda what happened. They ran off in a panic to find Darry while I went to find the others. Dally and Two-Bit were in a pair, also, and they had just pummeled a couple of Socs when I came up. I pulled them aside before they could start on another one. All three of us went back to the tree when I told them what happened.

Darry was still there, but he'd been joined by the rest of the gang. Sodapop had tears rolling down his face already.

"Okay, did anyone see anything suspicious?" Darry was asking.

"To tell you truth, Dar, we were all too busy fighting to have noticed something like that." Steve said when no one said anything. Darry opened his mouth to respond, but suddenly we heard loud shouting in the direction of the fight.

Every single Soc in the lot was running towards the parked vehicles. Greasers stood around, covered in blood and dirt, whooping and hollering. The fight was over. All of the Socs were leaving.

"No!" Ponyboy cried. "We'll never find the Socs we're looking for if they all leave at once!"

I digested his words. Immediately, all of us sprinted across to the cars. I scanned the Socs for a familiar face as I ran. I gasped and picked up speed when I saw the Soc that grabbed Jayla before get into a cherry red Corvette.

"That's him! You guys, it's the Soc!" I pointed at the car and Steve, who runs faster than me, ran ahead to get a better look. The car pulled off before he could get there, and I groaned. That was it. The Socs had taken her.

Dally's voice lifted my spirits. "I got the license plate number!" He announced. Darry slapped him on the back.

"Nice goin', Dally," he said seriously. "Don't forget it because the cops are going to want to know." Dally nodded in agreement. I sighed. Even though we got the plate number and a description of the guys, they still took her. I knew everyone else felt the same way. They still took her, and we don't know if we'll get her back. As the other greaser gangs celebrated their victory behind us, we stood there in terror, wondering if we'd ever see Jayla alive again.

**Reviews would give me writing motivation! But even if you don't feel like reviewing, thanks for reading! I love you all! :D**


	17. Chapter 17

**I know it's been a while, please don't kill me! I've got chapters on file I'll be able to upload periodically, now, so it'll probably be a while before I have another dry spell, so yay! I hope you enjoy this, because most of you did not like my cliffhanger! Oh, and to the guest reviewer who found my story "super unrealistic", I'm sorry you feel that way. I ****_did _****have reasoning behind my writing, but I'm sorry they weren't clear. Thank you, anyways, for taking the time to review and tell me what you thought. I do appreciate that. Anyways, here we go! Enjoy this chapter!**

"Shouldn't she be awake by now?"

"I don't think so. Anthony hit her pretty hard when she bit him."

"Craig, your dad's a doctor. What do you think?"

"Just because my dad is a doctor doesn't mean I'm one, stupid."

"Yeah, I know, but you're more educated on medicine than any of us."

"I don't think it matters whether or not he's a doctor, guys. Look, she's coming to."

Familiar voices seeped into my mind as I became more aware of my surroundings. The first thing I noticed was the the ropes digging into my wrists. The second thing was the feeling of cold concrete against the side of my face. I was laying on a floor on my side, apparently tied up. Warily, I opened my eyes a slit.

I would have screamed if I had the energy, but regaining consciousness isn't exactly an action you can pair with an outburst. Instead, I gave a whimper at the sight of five Socs standing over me.

"Hey, greaser, have a nice nap?" one of them asked evilly. I remembered him as Tony, the guy who cut me up in the first place. I didn't respond. Bad move.

"You answer me when I'm talking to you, you little brat." he said angrily. He knelt down and got close to my face. I inhaled sharply as his hands made their way towards my side and pressed down hard on my ribs.

"You're... hurting me..." I gasped out. He let go and stood up with a satisfied look.

"That's better. Now sit up so I can have a look at you."

Afraid of what would happen if I refused, I did my best to get into a sitting position. There was a wall behind me, so it wasn't as hard as I expected, even with my hands behind my back. Once I was supported by the wall, I took the opportunity to take in my surroundings.

I was in a cellar of some sort. The walls and floors were gray concrete, and two wooden doors were on the opposite wall. A mattress lay on the floor in the corner. Other than that, the room was virtually empty.

Tony's voice pulled my attention back to my kidnappers. "I hope you like the clothes you're wearing, because you're going to be here a while." he told me. Bile rose into my throat at the thought, and I swallowed.

"Why are you doing this?" I managed to whisper. He chuckled.

"Isn't it obvious? You're a GREASER. Every single one of you thinks that you're better than us on the West Side. I'm giving proof that we're the ones in control of you all, whether you like it or not."

"Please let me go home," I begged. "I don't want to be here."

"Tough luck," he said harshly. "You're here to stay, so you'd better get used to the idea."

"My brothers will find me," I said, faking bravery. "They'll find me and beat you to an inch of your life for doing this."

Tony's look turned to outrage. "What did you just say to me? I swear to god, kid, if you don't learn some respect you'll get what's coming to you. That means following orders, too. In fact, stand up!"

Between the limited use of my hands and the soreness of my body, standing up was quite difficult. I struggled with regaining my balance until finally, Tony became impatient and yanked me up by my shirt. I winced as he roughly turned me around to face the wall and began tugging at my ropes. When he finally got them loose, I slipped my hands out of them and rubbed my wrists. He jerked me back around to face him and shoved back down on the floor.

"Now you listen to me," he said dangerously as he towered over me. "I'm the boss here. Anything I tell you to do, you do without question, understand? If not, you'll have another encounter with my switchblade. Got it?"

I nodded nervously. He and the other Socs began walking over to the two doors. They opened the one on the left, and began filing out. Tony stopped all of a sudden and turned back to me.

"You said that your brothers will find you and rescue you?" he said. A sadistic smile crept across his face as he pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it to me. "Think again, greaser." He turned and walked out the door, shutting it behind him. I heard the click of a lock as he trapped me in there. I looked down at the object he threw and gasped.

It was Soda's handkerchief he keeps to wipe up grease spills at the DX, covered in what was unmistakably blood.

I had held up strongly at first, but the sight of that made the dams break. I curled up in a ball on the floor, clutching the handkerchief to my chest. Tears streamed down my face and my head throbbed as I cried. They had hurt Soda, and probably the rest of the gang, too. The Socs had already beat me up to the point where I probably had broken ribs and a concussion. They probably wouldn't stop there. I was going to die here in this musty, dark room. So much for keeping anyone from getting hurt.

I cried myself into a dangerous sleep, finding slight comfort in smelling the handkerchief. It smelled just like my brother had that very afternoon.


	18. Chapter 18

**I forgot to mention last chapter, thanks for reading! I would love it if you guys left reviews. This chapter switches viewpoints in the middle. I know some of you positively hate it when people do that, but it'd because the first part is too short to be a whole chapter. It's very long now, so that's a good trade, isn't it? I hope you enjoy it!**

I awoke with my back aching from sleeping on the hard cement. Wincing as I sat up, I looked around the room and sighed. It hadn't been a dream. I was really kidnapped by Socs and they really hurt my brother. The thought brought tears to my eyes, and I looked down at the blue handkerchief I was still clutching in my fist. It was all I had right now, and I wasn't about to let anything happen to it.

I stood up slowly, my ribs and head still aching. I crossed the room over to the dirty mattress and stuffed the handkerchief under it. If the Socs found out how much I clung to it all night, they'd take it away. It would stay safe under the mattress.

I started walking around the room, inspecting everything. Maybe I could find a way out of this smelly prison. When I reached the wooden doors, I hopefully jiggled the doorknob on the left door. My heart sank. It wouldn't budge. I should have known that they'd take extra care to prevent me from escaping.

My spirits brightened when I was able to turn the right doorknob with ease, but they dimmed again when the door opened to reveal a simple bathroom. It was dark and musty, and by the smell of it it hadn't been cleaned in quite some time. I stepped over the threshold and looked around the tiny room. A grimy toilet was up against the wall, right next to a cracked sink that had mold growing in the basin. Other than that, the room was empty. There was no bath or shower, or even a mirror. I'd have to be careful not to get my clothes too dirty. Who knew how long it would be before someone finds me?

I exited the bathroom and went back over to the mattress. I didn't know what time of day it was because there were no windows, but I was still tired. I lowered myself onto the mattress and lay down on the side that didn't hurt as bad. I reached underneath my poor excuse for a bed and pulled out the handkerchief once more. I held it against my chest and curled up in a fetal position. Tears slipped out of my closed eyes onto the material as I breathed in it's scent. I fell asleep, completely vulnerable to the world and everything it's done to me.

_ Sodapop:_

I clutched my head in my heads. The headache that had appeared last night as the fuzz questioned us was making a reappearance, and I doubted it could be eased by a painkiller. The events of the rumble played over and over in my head as I sat at the cash register, numbly ringing up items for customers and answering their questions with mindless shrugging and shaking of the head.

Darry had made me go to work this morning, even after everything that's happened. Both of us could have used the extra sleep taking the day off would have provided, but we needed the paychecks. Besides, last night consisted of a lot of tossing, turning, and plain-out crying for both me and Ponyboy, so I really didn't think Darry could have had a night that was any better. Sleep would be unknown to us until this situation gets resolved, and everyone knew it.

The bell over the door tinkled, and I looked up. A little boy and girl were coming in, and by the looks of them they were still in elementary school. The little girl had blonde pigtails and looked around seven or eight, while the little boy looked around ten and was holding his little sister's hand. I watched as they strolled casually over to the candy aisle and stared at the display of chocolate bars I just set up that morning.

"Ooh, can we get a Hershey bar, Peter?" The little girl squeaked, pointing towards the array of candy. The little boy leaned in close to the display and examined it.

"Yeah, we can get it if you want to." he told her. She squealed in delight and grabbed a candy bar off the rack. Still holding hands, they came up to the counter where the girl placed the chocolate and the boy placed a nickel. I rang them up without a word.

"Thanks, mister." The little boy said when I handed him the candy. He handed it to his sister. "Here you go, Cindy."

The little girl gave him a toothy grin and started unwrapping the candy. They made their way to the door. Suddenly, the girl stopped walking with a funny look on her face.

"Peter..." she said, tugging on her brother's shirt. He looked down at her.

"What's the matter, Cindy? Did we get the wrong kind of candy?"

"No, but what about you? That was the money Grandpa Ronnie gave you to buy yourself a treat,

I watched as a small smile played on the boy's lips. He looked at her fondly before patting her shoulder.

"He only gave me enough for one candy bar. It's okay, Cindy, I can get candy any old time. You just enjoy it."

The little girl looked sadly down at the much-desired chocolate in her hands. Then, she unwrapped the entire bar and broke it in half, handing a large chunk to him.

"Here, we can share it." she told him. A look of surprise fleeted across his face before he took the candy and happily took a bite.

"Thanks, Cindy." he said, chocolate rimming the edge of his mouth. His sister smiled at him and took a big bite out of her own half. Then, they linked hands again and walked out the door, making the bell chime again.

The entire scene was difficult to watch, and it really tugged at my heartstrings. I was reminded of me and Jayla as little kids. When we were both still in grade school, we used to do that all the time whenever our dad would give us money. Whoever he gave it to would buy as many sugary treats as they could afford, and split it evenly with the other. I zoned out as I recalled the memories, especially one in particular.

_ I was nine at the time, and Jayla was six. Our parents were hosting a celebratory dinner with some friends at our house to celebrate our father's promotion. We didn't have much money, so it was a big deal to be able to throw a party like that. Mom had baked a huge German Chocolate cake with buttercream icing to serve to the guests for dessert, and she had decorated it with her special candy roses._

_All of us kids were supposed to be sent to bed after we had our dinner so that the adults could entertain themselves with card games and alcohol. We were all fussy that night about missing out on the big chocolate cake, even though we'd been served ice cream sundaes before bed. Nevertheless, the four of us went to our rooms eventually after a little bribing from Mom with a promise of pancakes in the morning._

_I had just laid down in bed when Jayla came creeping into my room, clad in yellow footie pajamas. She had a plan on getting that cake, and had decided I'd be her partner in crime. We were as close back then as a brother and sister could be, despite the almost-four year age difference, so we frequently paired up for even the simplest tasks, like brushing our teeth and feeding the dog. She whispered her plan in my ear, and I agreed to be a part of it._

_I ran into the living room, rubbing my eyes. "D-daddy!" I whimpered once every eye was on me. "There's something under my bed!"_

_My father gave the guests a small smile, then came and scooped me up into his arms. "Aren't you getting a little old to believe in monsters, Pepsi-Cola?"_

_The guests chuckled, and I had to work hard to keep from smiling. As everyone in the room was watching me in my father's arms, my little sister was sneaking on the opposite side of the room through the kitchen doorway._

_"Nuh-uh!" I protested. "Monsters are still real even when you're nine!"_

_I kept up with the crying and arguing until I saw Jayla come out of the kitchen, a big covered dish in her hands. When she was safely out of the room, I faked a yawn and laid my head on my father's shoulder._

_"Can you just come check, Daddy, please?" I begged. "I'm sleepy, but I don't want nothin' to eat me while I'm asleep!"_

_Finally, my father gave in and carried back to my room. He checked underneath my bed and in the closet for "monsters". When everything was clear, he tucked me in._

_"No monsters tonight, Pepsi-Cola," he told me as he walked towards the door. "Sweet dreams."_

_As soon as he shut the door, I jumped out of bed and pressed my ear against the door. As his footsteps faded, I carefully opened up my door and tiptoed across the hall to Jayla's room. I went in and opened her closet door, where she was sitting cross-legged on the floor with the covered dish in front of her._

_"Did you wait for me before you opened it?" I asked as I entered the tiny room and closed the door behind me before sitting down across from her._

_She nodded. "Are you ready?" she asked. I took a deep breath and nodded. Together, we placed our hands on the lid of the dish._

_"One." she counted._

_"Two." I responded._

_"THREE." we said together as we carefully lifted the lid to reveal a cake bigger than my head._

_"It's beautiful." she whispered, awed at the delicious treat._

_"It's like I'm in heaven." I said. We made eye contact._

_"Ready?" she said._

_"Let's do it."_

_Together, we mercilessly dug our hands into the enormous dessert. We stuffed cake into our mouths like we hadn't had chocolate in years. Icing and crumbs were smeared into the carpet, but we didn't care. We just kept sharing the cake, occasionally wiping our mouths on our shirts._

_We polished off the cake between the two of us in less than thirty minutes. When we were done, we looked like we'd landed face-first into several puddles of mud. Chocolate was all over our pajamas and faces and in our hair. Yet, we were proud that we'd managed to sneak the cake out from under our parents' noses and had enjoyed our reward._

_Our mother found us, fast asleep on the closet floor together not long after. Boy, was she mad. I don't think I ever saw her as furious as she was that night, and believe me when I say that Jayla and I paid the consequences of our actions. We were both thrown over our father's knee after Mom woke us up and dragged us out of the closet by our ears. That stunt was something I'd never forget, but not because of how much trouble we got into, or because of the awful stomachaches the both of us suffered the next day. That memory stuck in my mind because of how much fun we had sneaking around and devouring a dessert meant for twenty people._

Fresh tears formed in my eyes as I sat, thinking about my sister. Where was she? Was she okay? Would I ever get to have another brother/sister moment with her again? I put my head down and buried my face into my hands, silent sobs racking through my body. I didn't even notice the door open again.

A hand landed on my shoulder, and I looked up into the face of my best friend.

"Hey, Soda." Steve said softly. I wiped the tears off my face and sat up, trying to pull myself together.

"What's up, Steve-O?" I said, my voice shaking. He gave me a sympathetic look

"You okay?"

I swallowed and nodded. "Yeah, I just..." I broke off, holding back tears. Biting the inside of my cheek to keep from crying, I stood up and clenched my hands into fists.

"You want to go home early?" Steve offered. "It ain't too busy today, and I'm sure the boss won't mind."

I nodded, still trying to control myself. "Yeah, that would be great." I said.

"You wanna talk or something?"

Unable to hold back any longer, I let the tears flow. "I can't take it anymore," I sobbed. He pulled me in for a hug, and I cried on his shoulder. "I'm so worried."

"I know, buddy, we all are." he murmured.

"What if we don't find her? What if the Socs kill her?"

"She's not dead," he said firmly. "The cops are going to look for her. She'll be home safe before you know it."

"We never should have lied to her about the rumble," I choked out. "She wouldn't have come if we had just told her about it."

"Yeah, well, those Socs shouldn't have took her either. And when we find them, we're gonna give them a reason to regret it. Don't worry, Soda, everything's going to be fine."

I pulled away and wiped a few spare tears off my cheek. "You really think she's okay?"

"I know she's okay," he replied. "We're gonna find her before anything can happen, and when she's all safe and sound in her bed we'll feel pretty dumb for worrying like this."

"Thanks, Steve," I said, sniffing. "That makes me feel a little better."

He gave me a small smile. "You just have a seat. I'll call Two-Bit to come pick you up."

I obeyed, and sat back down on my stool. I closed my eyes and replayed more memories of me and my sister in my head. I really hoped she was okay. If she wasn't, I didn't know what I would do. She just had to be okay.

**Did you all like the flashback? I'd love a review! What do you guys think will happen next?**


	19. Chapter 19

**Here's an update. Enjoy!**

_Jayla:_

I was pulled out of a dreamless sleep by the sound of the door hinges creaking. My eyes snapped open and I hurriedly shoved the handkerchief behind my back as one of the Socs walked in the room. I sat up and nervously watched him approach me with a plate in one hand and a glass of water in the other.

"Here," he said, handing them to me. "Eat up."

The plate contained half of a simple baloney sandwich, and I eyed it suspiciously. "What did you do to it?" I accused.

He rolled his eyes. "Nothing. We're not trying to kill you."

"What are you guys trying to do, then? You don't just kidnap people for no reason."

"Look, you don't have to eat the sandwich OR drink the water," he said impatiently. "You can starve yourself for all I care. No one would miss you."

I looked down, tears forming in my eyes. I knew he was just trying to break me down, but that comment really hurt. Still, I took a small bite of the sandwich and gulped down the water.

"How long do you plan on keeping me here?" I asked the Soc as he watched me eat.

"As long as it takes for you greasers to realize who you need to bow down to."

"Just 'cause you're a Soc doesn't make you any better than us." I protested. It was foolish to argue with someone who was fully capable of ending my life then and there, but I wanted to stand up for my rep.

"Kid, you'll understand soon that that's EXACTLY what being a Soc means. We're superior over the hoods and juvenile delinquents that plague these streets."

I was silent after that as I ate my meal. There wasn't any point in arguing with him. When I'd finished, I handed my plate to him but kept my water-glass. I could fill it up at the sink in the bathroom, later.

"Give me the cup." he demanded.

"Please let me keep it. I'm really thirsty."

"No! Give it to me!" Reluctantly, I handed it over. He snatched it out of my hand and delivered several kicks to my side. I gasped in pain.

"Ah!" I cried out. He'd kicked me directly in my sore ribs and I'm pretty sure he hit my stomach a few good times.

"Tony already warned you to do what you're told, kid," he said. "Don't make me have to bring him down here."

I didn't respond. Instead, I was doubled over, clutching my side. The pain was intense, and I wouldn't be shocked if he'd damaged something. I heard him walk back over to the door and go through it, the lock clicking as he left.

My stomach churned, and I'm pretty sure the pain was enough to make me pass out. That area of my abdomen was already sore from the cuts on it paired with the massive bruises forming from my "abduction beating". I slowly stood up and stumbled over to the bathroom. When I got inside, I promptly went over to the toilet, sank to my knees, and vomited. Wiping my mouth with a trembling hand, I leaned back against the wall and took a few deep breaths to calm myself.

I wasn't sure what to do. I was almost 99% sure I'd pass out if I tried to stand up again, but I couldn't spend forever on a dirty bathroom floor. Not that the rest of the cellar was any better. I finally settled on feebly crawling back over to the mattress and curling up on it. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to focus on something other than the pain blossoming through my torso.

I tried to imagine that I was home, safe and warm, but it was very difficult. The cellar was very cold, despite the fact that it was the middle of summer. I was shivering as I lay curled up in a ball, but there weren't any blankets for me to use. I hugged myself, trying to pretend to myself that one of my brothers was there, holding me as I tried to sleep. It wasn't as comforting as I'd hoped, but at least it kept me a bit warmer.

I don't know how long it took for me to fall asleep again. It seems like that's all I did, sleep and cry, but there isn't much you can do to entertain yourself when you're trapped in the cellar of some Soc's house. So I let my brain go fuzzy, and eventually drifted off into my subconscious, where I hoped my dreams would give me a bit of pleasure.

My wish was denied, because I woke up screaming hysterically as someone yanked me up off my back and threw me on the cold floor.

**Don't hate me for the cliffhanger. Instead, project your anger through a constructive review!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Okay, you guys may have to suffer the cliffhanger a little longer... 'evil laughter'**

_Dallas:_

I lay on the Curtis's couch, trying to get some sleep. It was around two in the afternoon and I was dead tired. None of us got any sleep last night with all the commotion from the fuzz and from Darry. The guy was worried, and who could blame him? His kid sister was missing and someone actually saw her taken by the Socs. We were all pretty shaken up, but it seemed like this was killing him from the inside.

With the sun shining brightly from the window directly in my face, I don't know how I expected to rest. I rolled off the couch and stomped over to the window to close the curtains. Turning back, I stared at Johnny, who was sleeping curled up in the armchair, before belly flopping back down on the couch. I winced as a resulting SNAP came out from under the cushions. Guess I broke one of the boards inside of it. Oh well, Superman would never know it's me. Johnny did, because he sat straight up and gasped at the sound.

"What was that?" he asked, eyes darting around the room.

"I, uh, popped my back." I lied. He looked at me skeptically before shrugging and leaning back in the chair.

"Whatever. I'm too tired to figure it out, anyways."

"I ain't lying!" I protested. "But if you're tired, you should go to Pony's old room or something and sleep."

Johnny shook his head. "Nah. It ain't gonna do me no good. I'll just end up not being able to sleep tonight and it'll start all over again."

I nodded in understanding. We sat in silence for a minute, tired enough to be content with the tension in the room but not tired enough to go back to napping.

"Are you worried, Dal?" Johnny asked me quietly. I made eye contact with him and saw that look in his eyes that he gets when he's upset. I sighed and leaned back, not taking my eyes off of him.

"Yeah, I am," I admitted. "I don't want nothin' to happen to her."

"I'm real worried, too," Johnny said with a sad look. "If I hadn't run off to get help the Socs might not of taken her."

"Aw, it ain't your fault, Johnnycakes," I told him. "It was four against two. And Jayla wouldn't of fought anyhow. You know her, she's too afraid of hurtin' people and whatnot."

"Yeah, but I still could of done something better than run away like a coward." To my surprise, tears began running down his cheeks. Johnny hardly ever cried, so I knew he must be feeling pretty upset.

"You weren't runnin' away, you were tryin' to help," I insisted. "They would of took her whether you were there or not, so don't be beatin' yourself up over this. I'm just glad that they didn't grab you, too."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Johnny said, wiping his face. "They've done kidnapped one greaser, what's stopping them from getting someone else, too?"

I hadn't considered that. When you thought about it, Johnny was right. No one ever thought the Socs would go so far as to kidnap someone. Who knew what they were willing to do to East-Siders?

"From now on, you don't go anywhere alone," I told him sternly. "I'm gonna talk to the rest of the guys about it, too, but you make sure you always got someone with you, ya dig?"

Johnny nodded. "Yeah, I dig. I don't wanna get attacked by those Socs again either."

I watched him cry for a minute, then stood up and walked over to him. Sitting on the armrest of his chair, I messed up his hair and he gave a watery smile.

"Quit cryin', ya hear? Everything's gonna be fine." I told him.

"I'm just afraid of what they're doin' to her," he said. "She's gotta be real scared, Dally."

"Well, cryin' ain't doin' no good. So stop it."

He gave another small smile and looked up at me. "Guess you've got not crying down pat, huh Dally?"

"I've told you before, Johnnycakes, you gotta be tough. Nothin' can hurt you if you don't let it."

"I ain't trying to become cold and mean, Dally," he argued, but he his tears had stopped by then. "And if you think my crying is bad, think of Pony. Poor kid nearly made himself sick after we got back last night. You saw him, he was crying way worse than me."

Johnny had a point. Darry had to give both Pony and Soda sleeping pills to get them to go to bed.

"Geez, this whole kidnapping thing is messin' everybody up," I said. "I wish those Socs would have just stayed on their territory in the first place."

"We all feel the same way," Johnny replied. "Still, though, thanks for talkin' to me, Dal. I never could of said any of this to anyone else. It felt good to let it out."

"Don't mention it, Johnnycakes," I said, yawning. I stood up and went back over to the couch. This time, I lowered myself slowly down on the cushion and stretched out. "I'm goin' back to bed."

"I think I might, too," he replied. "G'night, Dally."

"G'night, Johnny."

**Because I'm happy! (Type along, if you feel, like leavin' a review...) ;)**


	21. Chapter 21

_Jayla:_

"Get the hell up, kid!" Tony shouted, yanking me roughly to my feet. I wasn't even awake until his hands touched me, so I nearly jumped out of my skin at his outburst. He threw me against the wall and pinned me there by my shoulders. He got five inches from my fave, and I could smell whiskey on his breath. "Time to be punished." he growled in my face.

"What did I do?" I asked, confused as to why I needed to be "punished". Tony slugged me in the jaw a couple of times, making me cry out.

"Everything. The fact that, that you, uh, exist." He slammed me against the wall again, this time making my head smack against the hard concrete. I let out a hiss and reached up to hold my head. It felt like I had split my skull right down the middle with the impact. I dropped to my knees and clenched my teeth together.

"Get up!"

"I-I can't." I said through my teeth, squeezing my eyes shut. He punched my arched back a few times before realizing that I wasn't standing up any time soon. He began giving me several badly aimed kicks to my sides and stomach. Then, he lifted me up under my arms and held me up against the wall as he repeatedly hit me in the face. One punch landed directly on my eye, causing me to let out a shriek.

"Ah! S-stop, please!"

"Shut up!" he shouted, pushing me back to the floor. He knelt down next to me and flipped open his switchblade. "'Member this?"

"Please, no," I whispered, doing my best to shy away from him as he grabbed my arm in his hand. "Don't do this again. I'll do anything."

He ignored my pleas, and cut a long gash above my elbow on the outside of my arm. I bit my tongue to keep from crying out. I moved a shaky hand to cover up the gash, which was seeping blood. Tony took that as an opportunity to slice deeply into my ribs. Unable to help myself, I let out a loud screech, which he muffled with a dirty hand.

"I said SHUT UP!" He punched me hard on the side of my head. I fell silent, too stunned and dizzy to do anything, and flopped flat on the floor, my head pounding. He stood up and kicked me again, but this time I didn't respond. My brain was too cloudy for me to have the strength to protest.

"Silent and still, that's the way you should be all the time," he slurred, ceasing the kicks. "Only thing better than that is being dead, but I ain't about to be responsible for a murder."

I absorbed his words and he stumbled back to the doorway. I realized with a punch in the gut that he had left it open the whole time. If I would've gotten away from the drunken bastard, I could have made a run for it. It was too late now, because he slammed the door behind him and locked it. I lifted myself up onto one elbow and did a sort of belly crawl towards the mattress, hoping to get my head on something besides hard concrete. I found that I couldn't gather the strength to actually get up on the mattress, so I settled for laying only my head on it.

I laid there until my dizziness weakened and my head wasn't pounding so bad. I pushed myself up with one hand and examined the places he had sliced. My ribs weren't bleeding as bad, but I still pressed hard on the wound, despite the pain it gave me. My arm was still bleeding pretty freely. My shirt was ripped, so I tore off a strip of fabric and wrapped it tightly around my upper arm. With both injuries taken care of, I carefully got to my feet and walked unsteadily to the bathroom, where I splashed a bit of cold water on my face.

I think it had been two nights, but I wasn't all that sure. Either way, they weren't giving me enough food to satisfy my hunger. I'd only received food once this whole time. My stomach rumbled at the thought, and I took a long drink from the sink to temporarily ward off hunger.

I went back and lay down fully on the mattress. I ran my hand over Soda's handkerchief, and wondered if he was dead. I didn't cry this time, my head hurt too much. Instead, I thought of happy memories of my brother, me and Soda cooking together, Soda teaching me to ride a bicycle, me and Soda playing football on a team against Darry and Pony.

Memories like these were the only thing that kept me sane in the time I spent in a Soc's cellar.

**Review, if you have time! I'd love to know what you think about Tony's little episode.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hello, Trouble in Tulsa fans! I've returned with the next chapter! Sorry it's taking so long to update, school's been kind of hectic and I've been caught up in Law Club and Student Council applications. I've done a LOT of thought on future chapters, though, so now I just need more time to write! Enjoy this, you guys, and remember that S.E. Hinton owns The Outsiders!**

_Darry_:

"What do you mean you couldn't find the car?!"

"Sir, we're doing the best we can. There are hundreds of license plates in Tulsa and only a certain amount of us."

"It's been three nights! Do you have any idea how long that is in the eyes of a thirteen-year old?"

"We've got our investigators out on the case full-time. You just have to be patient."

I was talking on the phone that morning to a police officer, who was plucking my nerves by the second. I was the only one home besides Pony, who was asleep, and the shrill ring of the phone had made me snap to my senses. I hoped that they were calling to say that they found my sister as I picked the phone up. Unfortunately, they weren't calling with good news, they were quite literally calling with no news. In this case, no news _was not_ good news.

"Patient?" I repeated in disbelief. "How in God's name do you expect me to be patient when my baby sister has been _kidnapped_?"

"We'll contact you if we have any new leads, Sir. In the meantime, stay put and make sure someone is always by the phone."

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, tired of hearing the same instructions over and over again. "I will. Thanks..." I hung up the phone and trudged across the room to my recliner. Sinking down in it, I took a sip from the water glass that sat on a table next to it. My throat was hoarse from shouting at Socs so much at the rumble that caused all of this trouble.

I heard footsteps pad down the hall, and my youngest brother came into view. Ponyboy had bags under his eyes, tufts of hair sticking out all over his head, and a set frown on his face. I gave him a sympathetic look as he glanced around the room.

"Hey, Kiddo," I said softly, as if he was a horse I was trying not to spook. "You sleep okay?"

He shook his head and plopped down onto the couch, curling his legs underneath of him. He propped his head up on his hand and stared at me.

"You hear anything?" he asked quietly. I shook my head sadly.

"Nah, nothin' yet," I said truthfully. "Officer Davis is convinced that the Socs will just let her go."

"Yeah, right," Pony murmured. "He doesn't know the Socs like we do."

I bit my lip. "Don't think like that," I said gently. "The police know what they're doing." The brave face I had put up along with the faith in the cops were both false. Truthfully, I think we could do a better job at looking for her than the police could, because we didn't have to worry about other crimes along with the kidnapping. It was completely for Ponyboy and Sodapop's sake that I didn't let my thoughts get the best of me.

"Then why haven't they found her yet?" Pony questioned with sad eyes. "We even gave them a plate number AND a description of the Socs that did it."

"These things take time, Pony," I explained. "The cops can't spend all of their time looking for her because they have other business to tend to, too."

Pony was silent for a minute as he stared down at the arm of the couch. My suspicions were confirmed when he looked back up at me with tear-filled eyes. "Darry, do you think she might be... dead?"

My breath caught in my throat, and for a minute I couldn't do anything but shut my eyes and try not to cry in front of my brother. I HAD in fact thought about that. It was one of the worst possibilities that crossed my mind when I was trying to imagine what had happened to her.

"Ponyboy Michael Curtis, don't say things like that," I said quietly. "She's _not_ dead. We're going to find her soon and she'll come home and everything will be okay again. She's _not_ dead!"

Ponyboy wrinkled his forehead. "Come on, Darry, you can't tell me that you don't wonder. You see things on the news all the time about kidnapping victims being killed by their kidnappers before they can get rescued."

"She's not dead," I repeated. "She's going to come home. She's not..."

I stopped short, unable to finish the sentence. Instead, I stood up and strided over to the wall. I slammed my fist into the plaster to release the frustration and emotion bubbling up inside me. After throwing a few more hits at the wall, my hand was aching and there was a big dent where my fist had landed that looked in danger of crumbling. Breathing hard, I went back over and sat down in my chair while Pony stared at me with wide eyes.

"Darry?" Pony asked, alarm and caution in his voice. "Are you... okay?"

I nodded and looked over at him. "Yeah... Sorry about that..."

Ponyboy shrugged and leaned back against the couch. "I would have done the same thing if I could," he said. "I see that I'm not the only one who just wants to hit something."

I sighed. "I just don't know what to do," I said. "I can't just sit here and do nothing while she's out there."

"Yeah, well, we kind of have to," Pony said grimly. "There isn't anything we can do unless we see the guys that did it. That's the part that kills me, that we can''t do anything."

I looked over at my brother and realized for the first time how mature and grown-up he was getting. I was used to treating him like a little kid because he was only fourteen, but he wasn't little anymore. He understood things like an adult. He was no longer my baby brother that couldn't figure out how Santa Claus gets into our house on Christmas Eve. He knew what was happening right now, and he fully-understood what might happen. It was somewhat of a shock and a relief at the same time.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Ponyboy's question pulled me back to reality, and I blinked.

"Nothing... just thinking." I replied. Ponyboy frowned and opened his mouth to speak, but he never got the chance. At that moment, the front door burst open, and a very winded and sweaty Two-Bit and Johnny came through the door. Ponyboy and I both jumped up and stared at them with wide eyes.

"What the hell, Two-Bit?" I said, surprised. He stooped over and put a hand to his chest, breathing hard.

"We... we know... Dally... saw..." he panted. I turned to Johnny, who wasn't quite as breathless as Two-Bit.

"Johnny, what's he trying to say?"

Johnny widened his eyes and took a few deep breaths. I stared, silently urging him to spit it out already. My heart nearly jumped right out of my chest when he finally choked it out.

"We know where Jayla is!"

**Yeah, I did it. I ended with a cliffhanger, and I refuse to even think about updating until this story reaches at least twenty-six reviews! Yes, I went there. I'll even give you some review inspiration!** **How do you think they figured out where she is? I love you all! I reached five thousand views the other day, and I almost cried out of joy! So just hit that review button, and I'll be the happiest camper in Jellystone Park! Have a nice day!**


	23. Chapter 23

**So I see my review bargain worked! Thank you, everyone, for your amazing reviews! Especially you, PixyStix15! This chapter is dedicated to YOU!**

My head was killing me, my entire body ached, and I was dizzy. Every time I tried to think, my brain didn't seem to want to process. I kept falling asleep at random intervals. I hadn't actually moved from the mattress except to go to the bathroom a couple times, I was hurting too much to move too frequently. At times, I would be returning from the bathroom only to stop suddenly because I forgot what I was doing in the first place. I couldn't even remember why there were long gashes on my body.

Something was wrong. Really wrong.

Thumps sounded in the pitch-blackness of my confinement. I knew it was just one of my "prison wardens" coming down to give me a rare serving of food. They made all the noise they could when they came down those stairs. I guess it was their way of warning me that if I was doing something I wasn't supposed to, I'd better shape up before they saw me.

I had pretty much figured out their names, at least their first ones, and I could match a face to an identity. Tony was the one that told everyone what to do and delivered my main beatings. Ricky seemed like a Tony-Wannabe. He was always doing what Tony asked and never contributed any kind of opinion. Anthony was big and intimidating. He could pack a punch better than the rest of them. Craig wore glasses and seemed like the brainy one. Not to mention he was a lot nicer than the rest of them. Finally, Calvin was the one that was the quietest. He still fired out insults when he came down to check up on me, but he didn't do it nearly as often as the others.

The door creaked open, and I stayed put as light shone into the darkened cellar and Craig entered the room, carrying a plate with the half of a sandwich I got on occasion and a plastic cup with a straw. I was getting pretty sick of baloney, and the sight of it made me want to vomit. I didn't protest when he handed it to me without a word, though, because I hadn't received any food in what seemed like a long time.

I carefully sat up and tried to ignore the feeling that the room was spinning. I shakily picked the sandwich up and brought it to my lips, taking a tiny bite.

"How... how long... has it been?" I stuttered weakly.

"Since you've eaten last? About two days. I told them they'd have to give you some kind of nutrients soon, but they wouldn't listen. I finally got Tony to let me bring you this."

"No..." I said softly. "How long have I... been here?"

"Oh," Craig replied. "It's been three nights."

Suddenly, my hunger seemed to evaporate. I dropped the sandwich back on the plate and put it aside. "Thanks, anyways..." I muttered.

I jumped and braced myself as Craig knelt down to my level. Instead of striking me, however, he held out the cup.

"Here," he said softly. "At least drink this."

I took it from him with trembling hands and he helped me place the straw in my mouth. I took a weary sip and swallowed. It was just orange juice. I looked up at him in question.

"You need something besides water," he told me. "I'm surprised you have any energy at all."

"I haven't been drinking anything," I said. "It... hurts my head too much to move."

Craig was silent for a moment as he stared at me, looking directly in my eyes. I blinked.

"Damn it..." he muttered. "Hey, can you do something for me?"

I looked at him in surprise. "What do you mean?"

He reached into the pocket of his khakis and pulled out a tiny pocket-flashlight. "Hold still..." Without warning, he shined it directly into my eyes. I winced and shut my eyelids. When I opened them again, he'd put his flashlight up and was looking at me with an expression of worry.

"Well..." he sighed. "I'm pretty sure you have a concussion."

"That explains a lot..." I murmured, taking another small sip of juice.

Craig stood up and started towards the door. "Try not to move around too much. I'm going to speak to Tony about getting you some treatment. No promises, though."

"Thanks, Craig." I said, leaning up against the wall. He left and closed the door behind him, submerging me in darkness once more. I closed my eyes, not to fall asleep, but to relax a little. I let my thoughts drift off to the gang.

I thought of Darry first. It was painful trying to imagine how my brother was dealing with this. First Mom and Dad, then me... he probably thought I was dead, or at least close to it. I hoped he was still holding up strong, because the gang wouldn't be able to function without him.

Next was Sodapop, and I actually let tears slip from my eyes at that one. I still had the bloody handkerchief, and it was hard NOT to cry at the thought of it. If he was dead... No. I couldn't think like that. He was probably just injured. But, the Socs had still told me...

I pulled myself away from the idea and thought of Ponyboy instead. If I died down here, I'd never get to hear him read to me again. I'd never be able to follow him and Johnny around mercilessly. He would no longer have an annoying little sister that insisted on acting as old as him.

I thought of Steve. He probably felt guilty, because he still thought it was his fault that the Socs jumped me, even though it wasn't. I wished I could have at least told him it wasn't his fault. he might even be glad I was gone, because he didn't have to deal with my begging him to pick me up from the library every day.

Two-Bit probably didn't even notice I was gone. He probably just recognized that there was no longer a minor that he'd have to be careful drinking beer around. He probably went to the movies with Ponyboy every night, happy to not be tied down with babysitting. The thought saddened me.

Johnny was probably just glad it was me that got kidnapped instead of him. The Socs could have very well beat him up, but luckily, he escaped. He probably didn't even return to that spot all night, just because the Socs might have still been there. It was a relief that it was me.

Finally, I thought of Dally. I seriously regretted pushing him in the fountain. He was so mad before I left... I wondered if he had even gotten the cigarettes. Surely Tim or Angela or Curly told him that they were for him. It probably didn't help anything, though. He was probably glad I was gone. The only downside was that now he had to buy his own cigarettes.

These thoughts depressed me, and I lay back down, my mindset extremely negative. All that working everything out in my mind had seemed to exhaust me, and I felt weaker than ever. I had almost fallen asleep when loud noises came from outside the door. I opened my eyes, startled. It wasn't the regular stomping of the Socs. I tried sitting up, but couldn't find the energy, so I settled for keeping my eyes wide open and curling into a fetal position. The thumping didn't stop, and it sounded like someone was hitting the door. I squinted my eyes in the darkness, but I didn't see anything.

"Hello? Is anyone in there?" A shout came through the wood, and I gasped.

"H-help..." I said feebly, as loud as I could with no strength whatsoever. The thumping continued, and I hoped it was someone that would help me, not someone that would add more injuries to my collection. Suddenly, the door burst open, and a dark figure I couldn't quite make out came running in.

"Oh my god, Jayla!"

**Let's say, uh, at least thirty-five reviews until I think about updating? C'mon, you can do it! That's only six more than we have now! Thanks for reading, you guys! Have a wonderful day!**


	24. Chapter 24

**I know, I know, don't kill me! I haven't had computer access in a week. It will probably be about a week before the next update, too, so please prepare yourself. We're about to get into the action, though! This chapter is dedicated to the wonderful, the amazing, DARK GAMBLER! She is so awesome, guys! So much fun to write with. Anyways, I guess I'll quit rambling and get on with the story. S.E. Hinton owns The Outsiders! Happy reading!**

_Dallas_:

"Winston!" I looked up from the cards in my hand and saw the blonde head of Buck Merril approaching me and Johnny. I glared at him and took a drag on my smoke, irritated at being interrupted.

"What do ya want, Buck?" I growled, leaning against the back of my chair. Buck completely entered my line of sight, a beer can in his hand.

"Did you drink the last Guiness beer?" he frowned, crackling the can in his hand.

"So what if I did?" I shot back.

Buck chucked the apparently-empty can at my head, and I deflected it with a swipe of my hand. "What the hell's the matter with you, Buck?" I snarled. "It's just one beer, you've got a whole stockroom of alcohol down in your basement."

Buck groaned, and I was considering punching him then and there. "Do I have to draw you a picture, Winston?" he demanded. "Guiness beer is one of the most popular and expensive brands you can buy these days. You can't just go around drinking every last drop without paying me for it."

"YOU'RE the one drinking if you think I'm giving you any money!"

Buck's eyes flashed with rage, but I wasn't worried. I could take him easy if he tried to start something. "Dallas, go buy more beer," he shouted. "Or I ain't lettin' ya rent a room here anymore!"

I stared at him, and I knew he meant it. A fight was one thing, but this was something else. I couldn't sleep at the Curtises' right now, they had their own thing going on. I sure as hell wasn't going to Johnny's or Steve's, their parents would probably kick them out when they saw me. Two-Bit's was a reasonable option, but his sister got on my nerves. If I didn't sleep at Buck's, I'd have to sleep outside, and last time that happened I woke up to a stray puppy doing his business on my boot.

"Fine," I spat, standing up. "I'll go buy the damn beer. You comin' Johnnycakes?"

Johnny nodded and set down his cards before standing up. We walked towards the front door, Buck watching us with a smirk of satisfaction. I made sure to slam the screen door as hard as I could on my way out.

"Where are we going to get the beer at?" Johnny asked me once we were walking down the sidewalk.

I shrugged and looked over at him. "I guess we could try the liquor store down by the theater."

Johnny shuddered. "That place gives me the creeps. I heard the owner's got a loaded heater behind the counter."

"He does, I've seen it," I said dryly, stuffing my hands in my pockets. "He pulled it on Two-Bit when he tried to snatch a six-pack."

"Dally, make sure you PAY for the beer!"

I chuckled. "I will. I ain't itchin' to get shot anyways."

We continued making small talk until we reached Harvey's, the main liquor store on our side of town. We entered the run-down building and I immediately wandered over to the beer coolers.

"Don't even think about stealing something." the guy at the counter snapped at us as we walked by. I rolled my eyes and gave him a gesture that involved one of my fingers.

"They ain't got what we're lookin' for, Dallas." Johnny said after looking through the selection. I groaned and walked up to the counter where the guy was watching us suspiciously.

"You got any Guiness beer in the back anywhere?" I asked the cashier. He frowned, his mustache twitching.

"We don't sell that stuff anymore. Too expensive to buy in bulk." he told us. I clenched my fists and stomped back towards the door, Johnny on my heels. Irritated at this Wild Goose Chase that Buck was sending me on, I shoved the door open as hard as I could and jumped when a shout came from behind it. I stepped outside and peered behind the door to find Two-Bit clutching his nose.

"Geez, Dally," he said as I shut the door behind Johnny. "You in a hurry?" He pulled his hand away to reveal a bloody nose.

"Buck sent me to buy more beer, but this place doesn't sell the brand I need." I told him.

"What kind are you lookin' for?"

"Guiness," I said. "Apparently it's a crime to drink the last can of it."

Two-Bit snapped his fingers. "Ah, I know where you can buy that stuff! They sell it at Alfred's over on the Socs' side of town!"

I crossed my arms. "Huh... I guess we could try it out."

"Dally, maybe we shouldn't..." Johnny said nervously.

I glanced at him. "Don't worry, Johnny, I've got my blade on me."

Johnny shrugged. "I guess it doesn't matter, the Socs are just as likely these days to be over here than over there."

We began walking away from the store, Two-Bit following behind us. "Hey, wait up! I'll come too!"

"I'm surprised you aren't at home watching Mickey." I joked.

"Nah," Two-Bit replied. "My little sister took over the television. I ain't got nothin' better to do."

We strolled down the sidewalk, and it wasn't long before we entered Soc territory. No troublemakers were in sight, though, and we reached the liquor store without hassle.

When we entered, the place was mostly empty. There was a woman at the register and two guys over by the cigarette display, but we were the only ones there otherwise.

Sudenly, Johnny gasped, and I jumped and looked at him. "What? What's wrong, Johnny?"

Johnny's eyes were wide. "Dally..." he whispered, staring at the two guys. "That's them..."

"What, those Socs?" Two-Bit asked. "What about 'em?"

"They're the ones from the rumble! The guys who took her!"

I looked at them, and realized that he was right. I recognized the big one from the rumble. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my blade. "I'll kill 'em." I growled, preparing myself to run over and hold the blade to their necks. Two-Bit grabbed my wrist.

"Dally, don't!" he said in an urgent whisper. "If you attack 'em, they won't tell us where the kid is!"

I lowered my switchblade and slowly put it back in my pocket. "Well, what's the plan, then?"

"We follow them back to their little hideout." Two-Bit said.

I stood, watching them pick out their cigarettes and nodded. "Right... let's go back outside and wait for them to come back out."

We quietly slipped back out the door and stood off to the side of the parking lot, trying to act natural. When the Socs finally came out, we just looked like a group of teenagers hanging around a liquor store.. I watched them walk away and, when we were about to lose sight of them, we started following them.

We trailed them without a word. The tension was thick as we tried not to get caught. We even ducked into a few bushes and took a few wrong turns just to throw them off. Finally, the Socs began walking up the driveway of a large mansion.

"We can't go inside," Johnny whispered as we lingered by the mailbox after they'd gone in. "What are we going to do?"

A plan unfolded in my mind, and I looked him in the eyes.

"You know how to get to the Curtises' from here?"

Johnny nodded. "Yeah, it's just a couple of blocks over. Why?"

I stared at the large house, and noticed a trapdoor next to it like one that led to a cellar. "You and Two-Bit go get Darry," I instructed, my hands balled into fists. "And call the cops while you're at it. We're about to kick some Soc ass."

**Reviews? They equal motivation! I've been dying to get this chapter out, but I haven't had the computer access! I will DEFINITELY try to update sooner, but no promises! Let's see... I will give a special shout-out to reviewer number 45!** **In fact, I might just message you and give a few spoilers, if you wish! So review, and I love you guys!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hey, guys! I'm back! I decided not to do the review thing for a while, because I have NO IDEA when I'll be able to update next. Oh yeah, by the way, the shout-out goes to... the guest reviewer who didn't log in. So, who's ready to see how Jayla gets rescued?**

_Dallas:_

I watched Johnny and Two-Bit run off in the opposite direction. I knew they'd get Darry in time. We were just barely on the edge of Soc territory. They could get there and back in fifteen minutes, ten if Darry drove his truck.

I continued observing the house from a distance. Man, it was tuff. The porch was screened in and there was a garden running all along the length of the house. I could make out a pool house in the backyard. These guys must be _loaded_.

After looking to make sure no one else was around, I crept on tiptoe over to the trapdoor next to the house. I had a funny feeling about it, and it wouldn't hurt to check. I made sure to stay close to the hedge, away from the large windows next to the door. I'd hate to have to punch the daylights out of a Soc before I even got the chance to find out where the kid is.

The trapdoor seemed out of place, because it looked so old. It was once painted white, but brown wood patches showed through the chipping paint. It was actually two doors set into the ground with rusted handles and a small keyhole. I gripped the handles and pulled hard, but no luck. It was locked.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?"

I turned around and growled at the sight of the two Socs from the liquor store running over. "What does it look like I'm doin'?" I said. "I'm tryin' to open this door!"

"Get off my property," the big one snarled. "Or I'll call the cops!"

I rolled my eyes. "The fuzz don't scare me. The kid is in there, ain't she?"

"We have no idea what you're talking about," the tall one said with a frown. "There aren't any kids here!"

"Oh yeah?" I balled my hands into fists. "Then explain to me what you were doing with the greaser girl at the rumble the other night!"

"You're off your rocker!" the big one shouted. "We weren't doing anything with ANY greaser girls!"

I immediately threw a punch at him, and he doubled over as my fist landed in his gut. The other one jumped at me, but I threw him off me and punched him hard in the nose. They both began swinging their arms, trying to hit me. One of them landed a punch in my eye, and my anger that was built up inside me exploded.

I shoved the big one hard and he fell, landing in the dirt. I then proceeded to punch him repeatedly in the face. When he was lying in the dirt, bloody and moaning, I focused on the taller one. I'd managed to hold him off of me while I was beating up the big one, but now it was his turn. When he jumped on my back and tried to hit me, I threw him off and socked him in the stomach. He bent over and I grabbed him by the hair, pulling his neck back.

"Tell me where she is," I growled, holding my blade to his neck. "Or you'll be bleedin' faster than a stuck pig!"

"I...I don't know what you're talking about!" he stuttered nervously. I could see beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead. "There aren't any kids here!"

I wrapped my arm around his chest and squeezed until he was purple in the face. "Ya wanna tell me now?" I snarled. "Or am I gonna have to suffocate ya first?"

He gasped for breath, and I was about to tighten my grip when I heard the sound of tires screeching. I looked over at Darry's red truck and promptly dropped him on his face.

Car doors slammed, and everyone came running over as fast as they could. Two-Bit and Johnny were accompanied by Darry and a pale Ponyboy. I could make out sirens in the distance.

"What happened? Did you find her?" Darry asked when he'd reached us. He eyed the Socs lying on the ground with hatred and apprehension. "Are these the Socs from the rumble?!"

I nodded. "Yeah, I was in the process of figuring out where they're keeping her when you guys showed up. I'm pretty damn sure she's through those doors over there!"

I pointed at the trapdoor. Darry opened his mouth to speak but suddenly we heard a loud cry. I turned and saw Ponyboy tackling the big Soc, who'd apparently tried to get up. Darry and I immediately went over and each grabbed a Soc by the hair. Two-Bit and Johnny watched for the police while we did an interrogation of our own.

Darry slammed the big one back on the ground and sat on his chest. He punched him in the face and got close to him, his anger showing through the throbbing vein in his temple.

"Spill it, Soc," he said dangerously. "Where. Is. My. SISTER?!"

The Soc struggled to get away. "I-I don't know!" he repeated. "I don't even know who you're talking about!"

Darry punched him again, and he shouted. "Let me go, you crazy greaser! All of you people are nuts!" he kicked and screamed but a few more punches shut him up.

Meanwhile, I was using a few classic torture methods on the other Soc. I pressed hard on a pressure point behind his ear, making his knees give out. He let out a gasp as I held the blade to his neck once more.

"You have exactly five seconds to tell me where she is," I hissed into his ear. "Or I won't hesitate to slice your throat open. What'll it be?"

I watched as he seemed to go through an internal struggle, trying to decide if he should tell me or not. I pressed my blade harder against his neck.

"Alright, fine, fine!" he shouted, trying to get away from me. "She's in the cellar! Did you hear me? She's in the cellar!"

I punched him in the face for good measure and joined the others in charging over to the trapdoor. The sirens were becoming increasingly louder, but we couldn't hold back. Darry pulled hard on the handles, almost breaking them off. He doubled back to the Socs and dug through their pockets. A shiny piece of metal flew through the air, and Two-Bit caught the key and placed in in the keyhole. He twisted it and yanked the doors open, almost falling as he scampered down a flight of stone steps.

Darry followed after him, followed by Pony. Police cars and an ambulance pulled into the driveway as I was about to trail after them. I exchanged a glance with Johnny, and we both ambled over to the police officers getting out of their cars.

"We found the Curtis girl," I said as soon as I saw the confused look on one officer's face at the sight of the Socs. "These two told us that she was in the cellar."

Paramedics wheeled a stretcher over to the trapdoor, which was still standing wide open. No one had resurfaced from the cellar yet, but I got the notion that the guys had it covered. The officer looked at the half-concious figures on the ground disapprovingly. "I see that you didn't get that fact from them without a bit of intimidation. I hope you realize that this may result in yet ANOTHER offense on your record, Winston."

"The hell it will!" I shouted. "If we hadn't beat this low-lives up, we wouldn't have figured out where they were keeping her!"

"All the same, you should have waited for the police to handle it. It IS our job, you know." the officer said as cops ran inside the mansion to find the others that were involved.

I shook my head angrily. "I'm not gonna sit and argue about it, _officer_. If it wasn't for us, she'd still be in that cellar with no one knowing where she is." I turned around and ignored him as I watched the five total Socs being loaded into the back of cop cars.

"Dally..." Johnny said, tapping my shoulder. "Look..."

I turned my head and my eyes widened. The stretcher was being put to good use. The kid was in Darry's arms, and she looked like she'd been through hell and back. She was loaded into the ambulance quickly with Darry climbing in the back with her, so I didn't see much. But I did see the multiple bruises littered across her face and her tattered clothing. Besides that, a dazed look was settled across her face, and she didn't look like she was completely with it.

Looking at her condition after only three nights, I regretted that I didn't pound the Socs harder.

**Yeah, it happened. Dallas beat up the Socs. Intense...**

**Well, I have just a few things to address. I wanted to wait until AFTER you read the latest chapter because I knew how much you guys were waiting. First off, a few people have asked if this takes place before or after The Outsiders. The answer is... neither. I guess if you wanted to get technical, this would be the Summer after the events in the book, but I'm just writing as if they never happened for the sake of the fanfiction.**

**Another thing, please don't hate me for not updating quickly! I very rarely have access to a PC! I actually normally write a bunch and then I have several chapters to update periodically when I can type them up. But don't forget about the story because I don't update quick enough. I promise, I'm working on it!**

**Next item to address, I just wanted to let everyone know that this is most likely the LAST chapter where there's a viewpoint besides Jayla's. I know a lot of you are pretty bugged about my viewpoint-switching.**

**Finally, most of you know that I also write other stories involving Jayla Curtis. I'm running kind of low on ideas, so if any of you have some, they'd be appreciated. Unless... wait, you guys DO like her character, right? Oh, no, I'm worried now. Do you guys only read this for the gang's scenes? I hope not... Will you let me know that, too?**

**I ****_think _****that"s everything, but don't quote me to it. I'd appreciate a review (or many), but if you're rushed for time it's okay. If you just don't want to leave a super-long one, that's okay, too. I'd love any review at all, whether it's praising or constructive criticism. Keep in mind, though, reviews that are at ****_least_**** four or five sentences completely make my day! I guess that's it! I really hope you all enjoyed this, because I know I enjoyed writing it! Happy reading, everyone, and have a fantastic Labor Day!**


	26. Chapter 26

**How's it goin', guys? Thanks for all the reviews! Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

_Jayla:_

"Oh my god, Jayla!"

"T-Two-Bit?" I stuttered in shock. He crossed the cellar and came over to me. I closed my eyes and felt him gently turn me onto my back. I let out a whimper and tried to raise up, but he held his hands firmly on my shoulders.

"Hold still," he said, frowning. "Darry's coming."

"I-I-I thought... how did you... I thought you'd never..." I trailed off, a sob building in my chest. I held it back, and instead focused on his face as it blurred in and out. He moved a hand to my cheek, and I shut my eyes.

"Hey! Hey, kid! Stay with me!"

I opened my eyes again and saw Darry's face hovering over me. I felt him slide his hands under my back and lift me up, hugging me to his body. I clenched my teeth as he touched my side, trying not to cry out. A sound similar to a wounded animal's escaped my throat, and I bit down on my lip.

Darry carried me briskly up the flight of stone steps that I'd grown to despise, and I was laid on a stretcher in the bright sunlight. I closed my eyes again as a paramedic loaded me into an ambulance, and I barely felt a hand squeeze my own as I drifted off again.

* * *

Cold metal touched my bare skin, and half-consciousness embraced me. I whimpered and groggily shied away from the source of the cold, and familiar fingers rubbed the top of my right hand soothingly. I cracked my eyes open.

"Shhh," Darry said, his voice tight. "It's okay... just be still..."

Without moving my head, I glanced at the paramedic on my left side who was using metal scissors to cut off my ripped clothing. Darry tightened his grip on my hand, and I didn't protest. I gave a small sigh, almost inaudible, and one hand moved up to caress my cheek. I let my exhaustion wash over me, and I fell back asleep almost at once when he resumed the stroking of my cheek with his thumb.

* * *

Sirens, beeping, and a mixture of faces filled my dreams. Everything was blurred together in one big rush. Every time something new popped up in my dreams, it disappeared as soon as it had come. I registered voices that I didn't recognize and some that I did, a combination of shouting and whispers. The times I did almost resurface into a state of consciousness, I was pulled back under, unable to stay awake for more than a few seconds.

Along with visions and images, I detected familiar smells, along with some that were unpleasant and stung my nostrils. The well-known gasoline smell appeared most often, but I knew it was just a dream. That was Soda's scent, and I knew even in my state that it was nonexistent except in my dreams.

* * *

Bright light filled my vision. It shone right through my closed eyes, and I slowly began to see it's shadow. A constant, steady beep sounded next to me. I felt a warm weight on my right wrist, and it was obvious yet gentle. I was resting on a bed, a plush pillow under my head. I allowed my eyelids to flutter open.

"Darry..." I breathed, seeing him next to me, nodding off. His head snapped up at my voice, and his face broke out in a smile.

"Jayla." he said calmly, rising up from his chair and leaning over me. He clutched me gently, my head resting on his shoulder. I buried my face in his neck and let tears slip out as our hug lasted. When he finally raised up, I lifted a hand to wipe tears off my cheeks and wrinkled my nose at the sight of a needle in the back of my hand.

"It's an IV," Darry said by way of explanation. "It's giving you nutrients while you sleep since you can't eat."

"Have I been asleep that long?" I whispered. He took my hand again.

"Three nights," he said softly. "You've been in the hospital three nights, completely unconscious."

"Why didn't I wake up?" I questioned.

"Partly because of the morphine, partly because of anesthesia. You've been having surgeries and everything. There was a chance of you... dying... because your appendix almost ruptured." His eyes filled with tears, and he looked away quickly. I stared in shock. I hadn't seen Darry cry since Mom and Dad died, and I wasn't supposed to see it then. If he cried or showed any sign of weakness, it was by himself, away from me and my brothers. It was strange seeing my big brother, my protector, the person who took care of me break down like that.

"Don't cry..." I said, unsure of what to do. "Darry, please don't cry..." My voice broke, and I felt my own eyes fill. He looked up at me and an expression of worry crossed his face.

"Hey, it's okay," he said, rubbing circles on my hand with his thumb. "You're okay. It's all over now." He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around me.

"I th-thought they were going to... kill me," I choked out. "I thought you guys had... forgotten..."

"No, never" he reassured me. "We would never forget you. You were the only thing on my mind for three and a half days."

Footsteps clicked in the doorway, and I leaned back against the pillows, sniffing. A nurse entered the room, a tight-lipped frown on her face.

"If she can't control herself," she warned Darry as she checked my IV. "I'll have to insist that you leave, sir. It's not healthy for her to get worked up right now."

"I'm okay." I said quietly. She took a thermometer out of her pocket and held it in front of my face.

"Open." she ordered. I obeyed, and she put the thermometer under my tongue. While I balanced the thermometer between my lips, she checked my heart monitor.

"How do you feel?" she inquired, not looking at me. I shrugged. She plucked the thermometer out of my mouth and glanced at it, scribbling something down on her chart.

"Any discomfort?" she asked, placing her hands none too gently on my abdomen and pressing down. I whimpered.

"Yeah... a little."

"That's normal," she muttered. "You still have stitches. Don't tug at them." Without another word, she left the room, taking the chart with her. I looked back at Darry.

"Where is everyone?"

"At home," he said, checking his watch "Visiting hours are from ten in the morning to five at night. It's almost ten PM right now."

"I'm sleepy..." I said, laying my head on the pillows and yawning. He smiled and pulled the covers up, tucking me in.

"Go back to sleep," he said, kissing my forehead. "Good night."

"I love you, Darry..." I murmured, closing my eyes and placing my hand in his.

"I love you, too, Jayla... Sweet dreams..."

**Fluffiness is fun for me to write, if you couldn't guess. Did you like this chapter? Oh, yeah, just wanted to let you guys know... there are three other Jayla Curtis stories on my page, if you didn't know. Check 'em out!  
**


	27. Chapter 27

**Hiya! It's time for another chapter! I got so many sweet reviews on the last one, so thank you guys for that! I hope you enjoy this one, too. Happy reading!**

When I woke up once more, I felt gentle fingers running through my hair. I didn't open my eyes, but instead lay still, savoring the comforting gesture from whoever it was. My body still felt tired, even though I'd been asleep for over three nights.

"When is she going to wake up, Darry?"

I went rigid, my mind overflowing with questions. I recognized the voice, but there was no way I could be correct. No way. I hesitantly allowed my eyelids to open, bracing myself for maximum disappointment.

My brother was sitting beside me, a smile growing at the sight of me waking up.

"Sodapop?" I asked weakly, my voice shaking. He grinned at me, his eyes lit.

"You're awake!" he said excitedly. "I missed you!"

"W-what are you doing here?" I stuttered out. He raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What do ya mean?" he questioned. "Do you want me to leave?"

"No!" I cried, moving my hand up to grasp his arm. "Sodapop... Oh my god..."

His eyes widened. "Jayla, what's wrong? You're acting... weird."

"I..." I swallowed, my breathing getting faster. "Soda, I thought you were dead!"

His mouth dropped and he immediately leaned over to embrace me in a hug. I leaned my head on his shoulder and welcomed the contact as tears fell down my cheeks. "Why would you think that?" he whispered. "Jayla, if anything, we thought YOU were dead!"

"Your handkerchief," I choked out. "The Socs gave me your handkerchief, and there was blood, and... and..."

"Shhh, calm down, honey," he murmured, running his hand through my hair again. "It's okay. I'm okay. Everything is okay."

"But... but... the handkerchief..."

"I lent it to Two-Bit during the rumble for his bloody nose... he must have dropped it."

"So... so they didn't hurt you?" I said shakily. "The Socs were just... messing with me?"

"They didn't lay a hand on me," he reassured. "I promise."

"Thank god..." I muttered, laying back down and taking a deep breath. I glanced around the room and realized that we were the only ones in it. "Soda, where did Darry go?"

"He's in the bathroom," Soda replied. "You feelin' okay, sweetie?"

"My stomach hurts... and my head."

"That's no surprise," Darry said as he came back through the door. "You've got a concussion."

"My heads been hurting constantly since the rumble..."

"It's pretty severe," Darry said, sitting on the other side of the bed. "You're gonna have to take it easy for a while."

I rolled over on my left side, facing away from the door, and shut my eyes. "What time is it?"

"Around eleven," Soda replied. "They should be bringing your lunch sometime soon."

"I'm not hungry..." I said softly.

"Just try to eat something? Please?"

"No... I'm not hungry,Soda..."

"That's okay," Darry said, taking my hand. "You don't have to eat now, anyways. You'll be hungry by lunchtime."

"Can I see the guys?" I asked quietly. I missed the gang, even though I'm sure they didn't miss me.

"Sure," Darry replied, "They're in the cafeteria getting food."

"No we're not!" a voice said from the doorway. I opened my eyes and saw Ponyboy running in, followed by the Two-Bit and Steve. Pony made a beeline for me as I pushed myself into a sitting position, and attacked me with a hug. I winced as he bumped the bruises on my shoulders, and he let me go.

"My bad." he said apologetically.

"Pony, be careful with her!" Darry scolded. "She's still hurt!"

"Sorry," Pony apologized again. "You okay?"

I nodded, and leaned back against the mound of pillows behind me. "Yeah... I'm okay."

"Finally, she's awake!" Two-Bit cried, ruffling my hair with a grin and perching on the edge of my bed.

"Kid, you look like you've been through hell and back." Steve told me, sitting in one of the chairs against the wall.

"She practically has," Two-Bit said. "Jayla, I thought you were dead when I came in and saw you lying on that mattress."

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to clear my mind of the memory. "Yeah, well..."

"You feeling okay now?"

"Sort of... I'm still hurting a little."

Darry stood up and walked towards the door. "I'll go find a nurse."

"No, wait! I-" I stopped talking as he exited the room. Soda squeezed my hand as Pony sat on the end of the bed next to Two-Bit. Darry came back a few seconds later with a nurse in tow.

"What hurts?" the nurse asked, coming over to my side and pulling the blanket off my torso.

"My stomach and head." I said nervously, watching closely as she undid a button on my hospital gown, revealing stitches on the right side of my abdomen.

"I'll adjust your pain meds," she said after a moment, redoing the button and covering me back up. She opened the cabinet next to my bed and pulled out a fresh IV bag, attaching it to the pole on my bedside.

"Can she get her lunch soon?" Darry asked the nurse. She nodded.

"Someone should be by soon to drop off a tray." she said. She finished adjusting the IV, and turned and exited the room.

"I said I wasn't hungry..." I mumbled, laying back down flat again.

"You gotta eat somethin'," Soda said. "Otherwise, the doctors will yell at ya."

I stayed silent as the gang made small talk, with Soda rubbing my back and Darry holding my hand. Eventually, another nurse came in and placed a tray on my bedside table without a word and left. Soda grinned at me and picked it up.

"Here, sit up a little..."

I begrudgingly sat up, and he placed the tray on my lap. I stared down at it glassy-eyed. "I don't want it..."

"Come on, baby, just eat a little?" Soda pleaded. I bit my lip.

"No... I'm not hungry."

Everyone watched me in silence, the tension building in the room. I glanced at Darry, who was looking at me with a concerned expression.

"Do you feel sick?" he asked, placing his hand on my forehead. "You don't feel warm..."

"I'm fine," I insisted. "I'm just not hungry."

"Well.. okay..." Soda said, hesitantly removing the tray from my lap and setting it back on the bedside table. "But you're gonna have to eat something later..."

I didn't respond, and curled up again, this time pulling the covers up to my chin. I could feel the gang's stares, but I just shut my eyes. I felt Soda run his hand through my hair again, but I made no sign of acknowledgement. Darry squeezed my hand comfortingly, which made me slightly relax. I eventually fell back to sleep, failing to notice that for once, the entire gang was quiet.

**Yeah, I'm sorry, this chapter isn't really all that happy. She's dealing with the aftermath of her kidnapping, so... Did you like it? Be honest, I'd love some reviews and/or requests. Thank you very much for reading!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Hey! It's been a while, but I'm back now! Did you miss me? I made up for my absence by making this chapter really long. Thank you for all of the super-sweet reviews I got! They made me happy. :)**

"Jayla, just eat something, please?"

I shook my head at my brother's pleas and crossed my arms over my chest. "No, Soda, I'm not hungry."

"The nurse said that you had to eat your breakfast," Darry said gently from his place beside me. "You haven't eaten anything since before you arrived at the hospital, and I doubt the Socs gave you much in the first place."

"I know, but... I don't want anything."

The hospital room door opened, and a nurse dressed all in white came in. She sniffed disapprovingly when she saw my untouched breakfast tray on my bedside table. "Why hasn't she eaten her breakfast?"

"She, uh... she said she wasn't hungry." Darry replied sheepishly. The nurse sighed.

"If she doesn't eat it, we're going to have to feed her through a nasogastric feeding tube."

Darry frowned. "What is that, exactly?"

"We'd insert it through her nose and it would go down into her stomach. We'd procceed to send nutrients into her body through the tube."

I made a face. "No, thank you. That sounds awful."

"Then you need to eat your breakfast." she told me.

"I'm not hungry." I insisted.

"I'm going to go gather the supplies for the tube," she said, walking towards the door. "If I come back and you haven't eaten, then I have no other choice."

She left the room, and I looked at Darry with wide eyes. "Don't let them put a tube in me!"

"You have to eat," he said, taking my hand. "If you don't, I can't keep them from doing it."

"I don't want to," I whispered. "I really don't want to eat anything."

"Why not?" Soda asked. "They gave you pancakes. You love pancakes!"

"I just don't feel like it, okay?" I said, on the verge of tears. "Just don't let them give me the feeding tube!"

"Is there some reason why you don't want to eat?" Darry asked, rubbing my back. "Are you upset about something?"

I shook my head. "No... I just don't feel like it."

In truth, there WASN'T a reason for me not eating. I just simply didn't want to, and I wasn't all that sure why. I didn't feel like I usually did, but rather sad and distant, like I'd been while in captivity.

The nurse returned, this time wheeling a cart with medical supplies on it. She glanced at the tray, but didn't seem surprised to find it still full. "Okay, I need you to lean back as far as you can and hold still..."

I ignored her instructions and looked at Darry in a panic. "Come on, don't let her do this to me!"

He looked at me sympathetically as Sodapop moved to give the nurse more room. "Jayla, we can't just let you not eat."

The nurse tried to push me back against the pillows, but I jerked out of her grip. "Let go of me! You can't just shove a tube in my stomach!"

"Actually, I can," she said impatiently. "And I will if you refuse to eat. So just close your eyes and hold-"

"No!" I said, my breathing getting quicker. "Just... no. I'll be fine without it!"

She groaned and looked at Darry and Soda. "Would you mind holding her down while I perform the procedure?"

"Of course," Darry said grimly as he and Soda each placed a hand firmly on my upper arms. "Jayla, don't move."

I squirmed, but they tightened their grips. I winced as the urse began inserting the tube through my nose.

Thirty minutes later, I had a tube going from my nose down inside my stomach and the nurse was force-feeding me nutrients through it. I lay curled up on my side as Darry and Soda watched worriedly. When the nurse had left, I still lay in the fetal position, not even acknowledging them.

"Honey... you okay?" Soda asked softly, rubbing my back.

"You let her put a tube up my nose while you held me down," I whispered. "No, I'm not okay."

"We had to!" Darry said in frustration. "We're not going to let you starve yourself!"

"I'm not trying to starve myself!" I said. "I just don't want to eat. That's all. You're blowing this way out of proportion."

Darry sighed, then stood up. "I'm going to get a cup of coffee."

"I'll come too." Soda said, scooting his chair back. The two of them exited the room, leaving me completely alone. I shut my eyes and clutched my blankets, trying to keep tears from spilling.

Darry and Soda didn't even care that I was sad. All they cared about was making me eat. They even held me down while the nurse forced a tube up my nose, which was extremely uncomfortable. They were tired of having to deal with me.

With nothing else to do but lie there, I began to daydream. I was eventually lost in thought with a memory regarding the last time I hadn't wanted to eat. Darry and Soda's reactions were much more desirable then.

_I was eight years old, and sick with the flu. Mom had already kept me home from school for three days, but I still didn't feel any better. My stomach hurt, my head hurt, and I couldn't keep hardly anything down. But that didn't mean no one left me alone about eating._

_"Come on, sweetie, have a bite of soup."_

_I slumped back against the pillows and frowned as my mother tried to hand me a spoon. "Mama, I don't feel good..."_

_"It will make you feel better," she insisted, moving her blonde hair behind her ear. "I made it chicken noodle, your favorite."_

_I shook my head. "I'll just throw it up." I let out a whimper at the thought of losing my lunch like I had with every meal for three days._

_She sighed and put the bowl and spoon back on my bedside table. "Alright, but if you want something later, call me, okay?"_

_I opened my mouth to respond, but I was interupted by a voice coming from the doorway. "Hey, Mom, can Soda and I try to get her to eat?"_

_My mother turned to look at fourteen-year old Darry, who was standing in my doorway in his favorite football jersey. She gave him a small smile. "That's very sweet of you, honey, but I don't want you boys to get sick."_

_"I never get sick!" Darry boasted, pride on his face. "And neither does Soda." he added almost as an afterthought._

_"Well, if you think you can get her to eat something, I certainly won't argue," Mom said, standing up and walking towards the door. "I'm going to go finish up the laundry. Let me know if you need anything."_

_When she was gone, Darry grinned at me before sticking his head out the door. "SODAPOP!"_

_I heard footsteps pounding down the hallway, and my eleven-year old brother appeared in the door. "What is it Darry?"_

_"We're gonna get Jayla to eat." Darry told him, motioning in my direction. Sodapop smiled, and came into the room._

_"Aren't you hungry?" he asked softly, sitting on the edge of my bed and picking up the bowl. I shook my head._

_"My tummy hurts." I stated, eyeing the bowl of soup nervously._

_Darry climbed onto my bed and got under the covers with me, pulling me backwards so that I was sitting in his lap. He pulled my blanket tightly around me and wrapped his arms around my stomach, keeping me from moving away while providing a comforting gesture._

_Sodpop picked up the spoon and tried to hand it to me, but I refused to take it. "Alright, Jayla," he said, dipping the spoon in the bowl. "If you're not going to eat by yourself, I'm gonna have to feed you."_

_My eyes widened. "Soda, no! I'm eight years old, not a baby!"_

_He chuckled and carefully lifted the spoon out of the bowl, trying not to spill its contents. "Come on, just one bite?"_

_I poked my lower lip out in a pout. "Soda..."_

_Darry gave my abdomen a light squeeze. "Just take a bite, Jayla, it's not gonna hurt ya."_

_I sighed. "Aw... okay, fine."_

_Sodapop grinned and brought the spoon closer to my lips. "Okay, here comes the airplane!"_

_I felt color rise in my cheeks. "Soda, quit it..." I muttered. Nevertheless, I opened my mouth obediently and he fed me the soup. I swallowed and tears filled my eyes as the hot liquid burned my sore throat._

_"What is it?" Soda asked, surprised. I sniffed._

_"My throat hurts and the soup is hot." I whimpered. Soda frowned and looked down at the soup, then looked back up at me with a smile._

_"Aw, is that all? Here, I can fix that." He filled the spoon up again, but this time blew on it gently. After a few moments, he brought it back to my lips and I opened my mouth hesitantly. He fed it to me again, and this time it didn't burn. It was the perfect mixture between hot and cold._

_"Better?" Darry asked me. I nodded._

_"Yeah... can I have some more?"_

_Sodapop smiled brightly and nodded. "Yeah, of course! Here..." He blew on another spoonful and gave it to me, repeating the process until the bowl was empty._

_"Boys, you need to go play, it's time for her to have a nap," my mother said as she walked back through the door. She stopped and watched Soda feed me the last bite of soup, and she smiled. "Is that an empty bowl?"_

_Darry nodded. "We got her to eat all of it! See, Mom, I told you we could do it!"_

_She chuckled and ruffled Soda's hair. "I'm sorry I ever doubted you. Thank you."_

_"Aw, it was nothin'," Soda told her, setting the now-empty bowl on the bedside table. "She doesn't mind eating for us."_

_Mom sat on the edge of my bed. "Okay, it's time for a certain someone to have her nap. Are you tired, sweetie?"_

_I shook my head. "No, I'm too old for naps!"_

_"Well, I'm afraid I have to insist," she said. "You need all the rest you can get if you want to get better."_

_Darry gently moved me out of his lap and got out of my bed, handing me my stuffed monkey. "Come on, kiddo, if you take your nap then Soda and I will play with you when you wake up."_

_I took the stuffed animal from his hands and lay down, resting my head on the bundle of pillows. Soda stood up, too, and pulled the covers over me._

_"You got Pepsi?" he questioned. I nodded and showed him the monkey in my arms. He smiled and rubbed my shoulder affectionately._

_"Okay, Soda, Darry, I think you've helped her stall for long enough," my mother said, smiling at them. "Go play outside for a little while."_

_They left the room, and Mom kissed me on the forehead. "Sweet dreams, baby. Mama loves you."_

_"I love you, too, Mommy..." I murmured sleepily, closing my eyes. I heard her get up and switch off my light before leaving my room, not closing the door. I fell asleep, my mind wandering to visions of what I was going to play with my brothers when I woke up._

As I lay in the hospital bed, I longed for my brothers to show that kind of affection towards me again. Instead of coaxing me gently to eat and even helping me do it, they shifted all responsibility to the nurses and let them put a feeding tube in me.

"Hey, Jayla?" I opened my eyes and turned to look at Soda, who was standing next to my bed with a backpack in his hands.

"What?" I asked bluntly, not showing any emotion. He bit his lip and unzipped the backpack.

"Um... I forgot to tell you earlier, but I, uh... I brought you something from home." With that, he pulled a stuffed animal out of the backpack, and I gasped.

"You brought Pepsi?" I said in disbelief, holding my arms out for my monkey. "I haven't seen him since I was nine!"

He handed me the animal, a relieved look on his face. "Yeah, Darry found him in the back of his closet a couple days ago. We thought you might like to have him."

I clutched my childhood toy tightly in my arms, and looked up at my brother with tear-filled eyes. "Thank you, Soda."

"You're welcome," he smiled. He glanced back at the door. "Uh, do you want me to leave again?"

I stared up at him, thoughts running through my mind, and finally shook my head slowly. "No, that's okay... you can stay. Darry, too."

He grinned and sat down in the chair on my right side. Without a word, he rubbed my shoulder gently.

I lay down on my back and closed my eyes, still holding Pepsi. Soda didn't stop the comforting gesture, even as I drifted off. He kept trying to reassure me, let me know that he was still next to me and wouldn't be leaving anytime soon, if he could help it. He still did it, even though he didn't want to be there, and would rather be off hanging with Steve. Even though he didn't care whether I was force-fed or not. Even though he didn't want to deal with me anymore.

But then again, I thought as I fell asleep, maybe he did.

**And... that's all. Did you like it? More reviews would make me even more happy, but just know that I appreciate you reading this whether you leave a review or not. You guys are awesome. Have a wonderful day! :D**


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